Red Skies Book III
by Jennifoofighter
Summary: The final book in the series. MS Fic, DOC, VM, JOC, and friendship all around. Shifting POV's for all WAT characters.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: Red Skies Book III of III  
AUTHOR: Jennifoofighter  
RATING: R  
KEYWORDS: MS, D/OC, J/OC, VM, and friendship all around.  
SPOILERS/TIMELINE: This is a sequel to my previous fic, 'Til the Sky Turned Blue  
ARCHIVE: It will be posting simultaneously at DestinedTo and DISCLAIMER: Hank and Co. own everything _Without a Trace_. No copyright infringement is intended. Heaven knows if I had any control of the show I wouldn't have to write at all.  
SUMMARY: Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight.

XoXoXoX

"_The family you come from isn't as important as the family you're going to have." Ring Lardner_

XoXoXoX

Chapter 1

XoXoXoX

"Just five more minutes," Martin mumbled as he squeezed the pillow tightly around his head to try and block out the sound of the alarm clock buzzing.

Sam rolled over and turned it off. "You get one snooze," she replied, kissing him on the shoulder before getting out of bed.

He had a smile on his face as he relaxed back into the bed for nine more minutes of slumber. He knew he was milking Sam's sympathy but he wasn't about to let all this pitying good will go to waste. She had been really attentive to his needs since his mother's funeral a few days ago and he liked all the extra attention.

He yawned and shifted in the bed. He was still exhausted from the funeral and it was taking time to feel rested again. He closed his eyes and as it had been for the last few days, his thoughts drifted back to his mother and the funeral. Just as he predicted he and his father didn't talk about the incident with his mother's glasses in the car but returned to their Fitzgerald method of talking around a subject.

XoX

_Martin carried some of their luggage down the stairs and dropped them by the front door. He glanced out the window and saw that the sky was overcast. It looked like the weatherman's prediction of mid-morning rain showers was going to be accurate. _

"_Are you all set?" Victor asked._

_He looked over to see his father sitting at the dining room table holding the newspaper and sipping his coffee. The remnants from their breakfast were still evident on the table, a coffee pot, his and Sam's cups and a plate of blueberry muffins. He nodded his head as he walked over. "Yeah. Sam's just making sure the kids didn't leave anything behind." He pulled out a chair and sat down. He motioned to the paper and asked, "How did the Wizards do last night?" _

"_They won but it was close," Victor replied. He turned the page of the paper and Martin could see his father's eyes scanning the articles with clinical study. "It's a shame they don't let Lethem play more. I know he's still a rookie but he has strong skills." _

"_I guess they just want to give him more time to prove himself," Martin replied as he reached over and took the world news section of the paper. "Although I did read in last month's Sports Illustrated that Jordan said that the team is still trying to recover from losing Hawley to the Lakers." _

"_I can understand that," Victor idly commented, his eyes still focused on the paper. "It's hard for a team to recover from losing such a key player. He was the force that kept the momentum going. It's going to be difficult for them to find their groove again."_

_Martin nodded his head and reached for a muffin. Not so much because he was hungry but more so wanting to have something to occupy his hands. "It was a big loss but there are still other players on the team," he stole a glance at his father and saw that while he was still staring at the paper his eyes were fixed, no longer reading, "and they want to keep playing. I hope they are able to pull it together and keep going."_

_Victor cleared his throat and with a heavy sad sigh he replied, "I hope so too," before quickly turning the page and continuing to read. His signal that it was all he was going to say about the subject they weren't talking about. He coughed awkwardly and said, "It looks like the Knicks did well."_

_Martin broke the top off of the muffin and in his most casual tone said, "Maybe you can come up next month when the Wizards play the Knicks," He bit into the fluffy but dense pastry and between chews said, "I'm pretty sure I can get us some courtside tickets." _

_Victor lowered his paper and folded it, sliding the sports section towards him. "Maybe." _

XoX

He was about eight minutes into his snooze time when he heard small feet running down the hallway, the bedroom door swing open, and then he was promptly attacked by two pairs of small arms.

"Daddy, time to wake up!" Grace and Nate shouted as they jumped up and down next to his side of the bed. They grabbed the pillow off his head and shouted, "Get up!"

With a smile on his face he sat up and growled at the kids, "Arrgghh!" as he pulled Nate up and playful tossed him onto Sam's side of the bed. The little boy tumbled over, laughing hysterically as Martin reached over to grab Gracie next. His daughter squealed with delight as he pulled her onto the bed and became tickling her. "But I don't want to get up."

"Mom said," she tried replying between fits of laughter, "Mom said you have to!"

He gave her one final tickle before he sighed and replied, "Oh-kay…"

The kids, feeling victorious in that their task was completed, rolled off the bed and ran down the hall announcing that dad was awake.

A short while later, freshly showered and dressed for work, he walked into the kitchen carefully stepping over Milo on his way. The dog was older and didn't have the pep he used to but he still insisted on following the family pack to whatever room they congregated. He scratched the dog behind the ears and was rewarded with a wagging tail before he walked over to the counter to pour himself a cup of coffee.

He glanced over to see Sam already wearing her ubiquitous black slacks and jacket, Grace in her school uniform and Nate was wearing an outfit that he clearly designed entirely on his own. He was wearing his favorite green t-shirt with the current iconic cartoon character and red sweatpants that were tucked into his brown leather cowboy boots that Sam's mom had given him last Christmas. He pulled his travel mug out of the cabinet and whispered, "What's up with Nate's outfit?"

She restrained a laugh at their son's expense and said, "He said he wanted to pick out his own clothes like a big boy." They both leaned against the counter and watched the kids eat their breakfast. Nate swung his boots back and forth as he ate his cereal, a big grin on his face. "I figured since he is with Frances today I will let her worry about whether or not he should change." She tilted her head towards him and grinned. "Clearly he has your fashion sense."

"Ha, ha," he deadpanned, stirring creamer into his coffee. "Do you want to head in together?"

"Can't," she replied, tilting her head apologetically. "Paul's on his way here to pick me up and we're heading out to Queens to do an interview."

"Alright, then I am going to head in," he replied, kissing her on the lips. "That paperwork isn't going to get filed by itself."

"My husband, saving the world one triplicate form at a time," she quipped.

He kissed both the kids goodbye and left for the office. He stopped at a Starbucks near the building and casually sipped his coffee, looking forward to a hopefully slow day of just doing paperwork catch-up. When he arrived on his floor he said good mornings to Raina and Jessica. Normally they would respond in kind but on this particular morning they both huffed and mumbled something to each other as he walked past. He stopped and was about to ask why they were giving him the cold shoulder when Dawson appeared from out of nowhere and placed his hand on his back, steering him towards his office.

"What's going on?" Martin asked, worriedly glancing at Nick sitting at his desk shaking his head at him.

"I'll tell you in your office," Dawson replied as they reached his door and went inside.

Martin dropped his briefcase on his desk and plopped down in his chair. "Okay, we're here. What's up with everyone this morning?"

Dawson paled and held up a magazine that Martin hadn't noticed him holding earlier. It was one of those weekly tabloid magazines that Samantha liked flipping through while in line at the supermarket. "It's about this," he replied as he tossed the magazine on his desk.

He picked it up and his heart just about stopped beating when he read the cover. "Kelly Grant Pregnancy Scandal" On the cover was a stock photo of Kelly attending an event but in the lower right corner there was a telephoto picture of him and Kelly sitting at the café. Under the photo in smaller font it read, "Her secret love affair exposed" and "Is Kelly pregnant?"

Martin's pulse quickened. "Oh shit."

"Look, I know it's not my place but is it true?"

He shot a look at his junior agent. "No, of course not." A look of skepticism crossed Dawson's face but he nodded his head so Martin dropped the magazine on top of the desk. "You know you can't believe everything you read in these trashy rags."

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" Dawson trailed off as he sat down opposite him. He released a heavy sigh and added, "I think I should warn you that this is just the tip of the iceberg. There is a lot of stuff being posted on the net and so far your actual name hasn't been mentioned but it's only a matter of time. In a few hours the whole world is going to know who you are."

Martin leaned forward and placed both his elbows on his desk, resting his head in his hands. "I'm not so much worried about the world as one blonde woman." He needed to do damage control. Tell her before she found out from anyone else. He looked up and said, "Well, thanks for telling me."

Dawson opened his mouth to say something when the door to the office swung open and Sam appeared.

He was a dead man. There was no other way to put it.

Still sitting in the chair, Dawson's posture stiffened up, his eyes darting back and forth between them. Being a wise man, he stood up to leave, quietly whispering to Martin, "May God have mercy on your soul." He quickly started to the door, mumbling, "I'm just going to get…yeah, I'll see you later." He walked out, carefully maneuvering past Sam who was so busy staring white-hot daggers at Martin that she didn't acknowledge Dawson's exit.

He watched as Sam coolly stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She glanced at him, her eyes still hard, before closing the blinds to his office. As the slits started to close he could see his entire team staring at him, looks of concern and morbid curiosity on their faces before their view was obstructed by the vinyl blinds. When she was done, Sam turned and walked slowly to his desk and sat down in the chair vacated by Dawson.

He gulped. "Honey I can explain. This is a total misunderstanding."

She bit her lip and he waited for her to yell or scream or even possibly pull out her weapon and shoot him when she did something completely unexpected and far more scary: she started crying.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

XoXoXoX

Sam hated crying. It made her feel weak that she couldn't control her emotions. Plus, crying was messy. It made your nose runny, your make-up smear, your face hot and flushed, and your breathing hitch. And yet here she was, having an emotional breakdown in her husband's office. While why a great part of the reason she was crying was because of him, he wasn't the only reason.

The morning had started out so pleasant. The kids were dressed and ready, Frances showed up a little early to take Grace to school and did not seem the least bit bothered by Nate's outfit as she loaded him into the stroller for the walk. Once they were gone she actually had a little bit of time to herself before Paul arrived so she lingered over the morning paper when the phone rang and on the caller-ID she saw that it was her sister, Bridget. Unfortunately, that was the first step in what was rapidly becoming a very bad day.

XoX

"_Hey sis," Sam answered the phone, a big smile on her face at talking to her older sister. She picked up her coffee cup and started to take a sip. "What's up?" _

"_Hi Samantha," Bridget replied, her voice edgy and hard. "I talked to mom and she said that you are planning on looking Max."_

_Taken off guard by her sister's tone at her decision to find their father, Sam carefully replied, "Yes. I am." _

"_Why in the hell would you want to find that son-of-a-bitch?" Bridget asked, dark and bitterly. _

_She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "How can you ask me that? Aren't you the least bit curious as to where he is, where he's been, why he left? He could be dead for all we know."_

"_He's been dead to us for over thirty years, why does it matter now?" Bridget asked, her anger giving way to sadness. "Sammy, you've been shot and wounded in the line of duty I don't even know how many times. You could be dead for all he knows but I don't see him out looking for you." _

"_I understand why you are mad. You have a right to be," Sam paused, opening her eyes and finishing, "But don't you want to know? Find out about his life, ask him questions?" _

"_I want to know what you think you're hoping to get out of it. He left us, walked out and never once looked back," she replied. "It doesn't matter if he is dead or alive. The reason we don't know is because he abandoned us, remember? In all these years I haven't heard a word from him. Why should I care about him when he hasn't bothered to learn about me? Where's his concern for our lives? He has two son in-laws and three grandchildren he has never met or even knows about." _

_Sam closed her eyes again, the rumblings of a tension headache making its presence known by the throbbing of her temples. "It's not like I am going to welcome him back with open arms but I just feel like not knowing him it…it's like a part of my identity is missing. That by talking to him, I don't know, maybe it will help me understand more about myself." _

"_Samantha, everything you are, everything that makes you who you are is because he wasn't around. Talking to him won't make you any different."_

_Sam felt her throat start to burn, not out of sadness per se but because of the conflicting emotions rising from this conversation. She knew that Bridget was making a valid argument but she also knew, deep in her gut that this was something she needed to do. She swallowed and shakily said, "Bridget, you're my sister and you are the only on in this world who can possibly understand how I felt when dad left. You don't have to have anything to do with him when I find him but even if you don't support what I am doing I really wish you would support me." _

_The other line was quiet for a long beat and she briefly wondered if their line was disconnected when Bridget finally replied, "You're my little sister and I will always be there for you but I guarantee that if you do this you are going to be disappointed by what you find." She released an audible sigh that Sam heard so clear it was as if she was standing right in the room with her. "And, whether or not I am with you when you confront him we both connected, Sam. You find him, I find him. It was so hard when he left the first time that if he rejects us again I just don't think I could bear it a second time." _

XoX

After they hung up, Sam sat there feeling confused and lost but before she could dwell on it too long Paul stopped by to pick her up. So she squared her shoulders and got back into Sam Spade professional mode and went downstairs to meet Paul where he would drive her to the next awful thing to happen this morning.

Her mind was still spinning from her conversation with Bridget that she almost missed it. As they pulled to a stop near Times Square, Sam, wanting a distraction, happened to glance up at the giant monitor along the side of the building and saw a giant image of Kelly Grant. The scrolling text underneath read, "Is Kelly having an affair with a married man? Rumors are circulating that the actress is pregnant with his child but he refuses to leave his wife…" and they flashed a slightly blurry photo of Kelly at a restaurant with a handsome man with brown hair that Sam would recognize anywhere.

While she knew it was impossible for her blood to actually boil she did feel her entire body, every cell, every molecule inside her grow hot with anger. With her eyes still on the screen above she said, "Paul, I need to go to the office right now."

Sounding perplexed, Paul began, "But we told Jack that we would go interview..."

She turned and looked at the much larger male agent and repeated, "I said I need to go the office right now!"

Paul quickly nodded and clicked on the turning signal to turn around in the direction of the office. A short while later, they arrived at the office and she rushed out of the elevator, telling Paul she would come get him when she was done. With each step she grew madder and madder, with each sympathetic look of her co-workers she knew that by now the entire building was aware of the implications being directed at Martin, her possibly adulterous husband. And that just intensified her fury. But for some inexplicable reason, when she had finally arrived and saw his face, the urge to punch him in the nose was replaced by the thought that if the accusations were true what it would mean to her family. And it was that thought that made her want to collapse with grief.

So she just sat down and cried.

"Sam, I swear this is all a huge mistake," he explained, looking sweaty and nervous. Even though her watery eyes she could see Martin's panicked expression as he walked around his desk and sat down next to her as he continued to plead his innocence. "I didn't sleep with her or do anything at all. Nothing. I love you and the kids and I would never, ever do anything to jeopardize what we have. I promise you."

"There are pictures of you with her at a restaurant," she shot back, tears still streaming down her face.

"Okay, but I can explain," he replied, sitting down next to her. "Remember when you asked me to go pick up Gracie's tights? Well, she called me up because they changed the premiere date of that new panda movie. She was around the corner so I only went in to get the new tickets and get out. It wasn't premeditated, it was totally innocent…"

"If it was so innocent then where did they get the pregnancy idea come from?" she asked, feeling the shift from despair back to anger. It felt good. "What the hell, Martin?"

Martin paled and started talking really fast, "Okay, first I was going to tell you about this but you worked late that night and then the next morning my mom died and then I forgot…"

"You're going to use your mom's death as an excuse?" she snapped, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"I'm not using it as an excuse it is the reason I forgot," he replied, sounding offended that she would think he would use Katherine's death as a get out of jail free card. "I'm trying to explain here."

"Just say whatever it is you are going to say already," she demanded, feeling frustrated by just the sound of Martin's voice. She clasped her hands together and set them on her lap.

He laughed nervously and she recognized it as his needing to say something but already knowing how bad it was going to sound. "Okay, now, don't get mad," he began again, reaching out to put his hands on hers.

She flinched, pulling her hands back. "Please, just don't touch me right now. Just say whatever it is you have to say already. The more you tell me not to get mad the madder I'm getting."

"Yeah, right," he stammered out, glancing at her hands as she pulled them close to her. "Um, see, when I went to get the tickets we started talking – about you and the kids – and she told me that you thought she was trying to hit on me or something." He met her eyes for some sort of confirmation that she was listening so she simply narrowed her eyes at him to just keep talking. "Anyway, she told me that she wants to have kids, too and then uh, she um, wow this is hard. She asked me if I would consider being a, you know, a sperm donor."

"She asked you to what?!" she shouted back, enraged by Kelly's audacity. "I warned you, Martin. I warned you that she was up to something! And I warned her to back off so who the fuck does she think she is to…?"

"I told her no way!" he quickly interjected. "I told her that you and the kids are my family and you are the only one in the world who can be the mother of my children and then I told her goodbye and then I left. Scout's honor." He held up his hand in the mock Boy Scout salute as if it would add some credibility. "I haven't seen her since and I don't want to. I guess someone overheard parts of the conversation and totally misunderstood the context," he continued on explaining as he watched her with wide worried eyes.

She stood up and started pacing his office, waves of anger were rolling off of her and in the confines of the office she felt like a caged animal that needed to go out in the wild and hunt. Preferably hunt a redheaded actress. She already had the gun. Hell, she was a trained agent who would even know how to dispose of the body. Her lips twitched into a smile at the very thought.

She kept walking and looked over at him. He was wringing his hands and staring at her worriedly. She had to admit that she wanted to believe his remarkably lame story. Still pacing she asked, "Where are the tickets?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said you met up with her to get the tickets to the premiere so where are the tickets?"

Martin lowered his eyes and worked his tongue into his cheek. "Um, I don't have them."

"Martin…" she began.

"After she asked me I just got out of there so I forgot to get the tickets," he quickly replied, using his hands animatedly to reinforce his statement. "I just left. I knew it was wrong so I got the hell away. I was just out of there."

Sam stopped and put her hands on her hips. "So, let me get this straight. You only met her to get the tickets but then forgot to actually get the tickets. And in a very public place, Kelly, a high profile actress, asked you to give her sperm so she could have your baby. A woman who could probably have just about any guy she wanted in the world," she pointed to him for emphasis and finished, "asked you."

"You don't have to say it like that," he began, trying to defend his ego. She fixed her eyes on his, daring him to continue when he thought better of it and said, "But yes, you're right, that's all that happened."

"She completely staged it," Sam replied. "If she was serious about it being innocent there is no way she would ask you something so personal in a very crowded, very public place where people could overhear."

"I'm sure Kelly wouldn't…"

"Oh, you better stop talking right now," she warned.

He shut his mouth and had the decency to look properly chastised. She kept pacing, glancing at him every now and then as he sat there, waiting out their silent standoff. She just knew that Kelly had to have known that the people around her would be listening in on their conversation. And that fact just ticked Sam off more. She wanted to go to Kelly's apartment and beat the living crap out of her but she knew that would be a very bad idea. In order to avoid first degree murder charges it would be best if Sam stayed as far away as possible from Kelly Grant. At the very least, she shouldn't be any closer than a sniper rifle could fire.

Once she began to cool off she sat down and met his eyes. She stared into his blue depths trying to decide if he was holding anything back, if he was lying to her, if he did cheat on her. He looked back at her and all she could see in his eyes was him praying that he trusted him enough to know that he was being completely honest with her.

So with a resolute sigh she said, "This has to go away. I can't have people thinking that my husband is going around knocking up movie stars."

"I'll make this go away," he replied determinedly. "Gone. Done. No worries. I'll get Kelly to make a statement or something and by tonight this will be old news."

"It has to be," she said as she folded her arms over her chest. She glanced around his office, her eyes landing on one of Gracie's drawings. She huffed and said, "I should call Frances and give her a heads up and we'll have to talk to Gracie tonight in case she hears anything at school."

"I didn't even think about that," he replied softly. "But you're right."

She could feel some of the tension slowly easing up but she still wasn't ready to let him off the hook. She was still hurt and angry and not quite yet willing to let those feelings go. So she stood up and walked to the door. With her eyes on the door she said, "We'll talk about this more tonight at home." She turned her head to look over at him and added, "Now I am going to step out of this office with a big smile on my face and act like everything is okay but I am still really pissed off so don't think this topic is settled between us." With a remorseful look, he nodded his head that he understood.

She turned the doorknob, planted a smile on her face and exited his office.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

XoXoXoX

Danny stood against the back wall of the elevator, idly listening as two agents he recognized from the tech department argued which 1980s action cartoon was superior. Apparently the shorter agent preferred _Voltron_ while the bald agent was convinced that _Robotech_ contained more compelling storylines. He shook his head at the two men when their argument grew more heated, thinking how much they reminded him of his sons bickering passionately about something so ridiculous.

He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. Diego had another hard night but fortunately both boys were just given the clear and the bone marrow procedure had officially been rescheduled for the following week. He knew that the procedure was going to be really difficult and things would not be getting easier for a long time but it felt good to finally feel like they were moving forward again. And according to Dr. Jaffe, forward motion was a good thing.

The entire family had another session with Dr. Jaffe last night only this time he insisted that the entire family living in the home be present. It was like pulling teeth to get Richard and Marilyn to agree but once Emma threatened them that if they didn't attend they would have to move out, they begrudgingly surrendered.

XoX

_For this session they met with Dr. Jaffe at his office. It was lined with bookshelves that featured textbooks, children books, novels, children's board games, and other random items that a family psychologist might use to stimulate conversation. _

_Danny leaned back in the sofa, watching as Richard sat stiffly in the chair opposite of him, scrutinizing degrees on the wall and books on the shelves. Marilyn sat next to him, a pleasing smile on her face as she watched the twins play with their action figures while Eli wandered around the room, studying its contents. _

_He felt Emma's hand on his wrist and he turned to face her. She gave him a reassuring smile and intertwined her fingers with his as Dr. Jaffe started talking. _

"_So, Diego," he began, waiting for the boy to look over at him. "How are you feeling today?" _

"_Okay, a little bit tired," he replied, briefly glancing up before refocusing his attention on the toy in his hand. Moving the stiff plastic arms above his head and then pretending that he was flying through the air._

"_That's good," Dr. Jaffe said as he jotted something down in his notepad. Danny shifted and crossed his legs, waiting for him to continue. The elder man looked at Mike and asked, "And what about you? How are you feeling?"_

"_I'm fine," Mike said as he sat back on the sofa, leaning against Danny as if suddenly shy. _

_Dr. Jaffe smiled and said, "So I understand that the procedure has been scheduled for next week. Do either of you boys have any questions about what is going to happen?" _

"_Not really," Diego replied, shrugging his shoulders. "They said I have to stay in a special room all by myself and they are going to do more chemo so my body is all clean and then they are going to take the marrow from Mike and put it into me," he finished, sounding clinically childlike. "And then I should get all better." _

"_I still don't understand why I can't stay in the room with him," Mike whined from where he was sitting. _

"_Sweetie, I told you, they need to keep Diego in a clean room," Emma replied, leaning forward to meet the boy's eyes. _

"_Mom, I promise I will keep it clean," Mike replied, standing and walking up to her. "I will pick up my toys and clothes…"_

"_Mike," both Danny and Richard said at the same time. Mike's eyes moved back and forth between them, unsure who to listen to when Danny shot his father-in-law a warning look that went completely ignored as the older man continued on, "Mike, the room isn't clean as in clutter but it is germ free, sterile. And you cannot be in the room because after the chemo Diego's immune system will be wiped out and the germs you carry will make him very sick. You need to keep away because you could potentially kill your brother just by breathing on him."_

"_Dad," Emma snapped, the curt tone making it very clear he should stop talking._

_Mike looked wounded by the implication that he would make his brother more ill so Danny reached over and pulled him onto his lap. "What your grandpa means is that we all have germs, stuff that normally doesn't hurt us at all but for this little bit of time, we need to be extra careful. That's why they are only going to let me and your mom see him. And even then we have to wear gloves, masks, gowns…"_

"_What do you mean only you and Emma?" Richard bristled. "I should think you gave the clear so that I can go in and check on Diego as well."_

"_Dad! We will discuss this later," Emma warned him again before reaching over and gently caressing Mike's cheeks. "I know you love your brother and want to be able to see him but it's only for a little bit of time. And if you have anything to tell your brother you can tell me or your dad and we can give him the message." _

"_At least you get to play outside with Eli," Diego said softly as he sat down next to Emma. "I'm the one who is stuck all by himself." _

_Emma hugged Diego close, his thin, pale form looking small and lost in her arms. "You won't be all by yourself. Your dad and I will be there everyday." _

_Diego sighed and nodded. "Yeah, but Mike is more fun." _

_Danny laughed and stared at his boy. "Hey, your old man is fun, too! You guys inherited your sense of humor from me. I can joke around and make you laugh." _

"_Yes, honey, you're a riot," Emma quipped, giving him a teasing smile. _

"_Well there you go, Diego and Mike," Dr. Jaffe chimed in, his eyes twinkling behind his wire frame glasses. "You're very lucky to have such funny parents." _

"_Yes, they're real hilarious," Richard commented when Marilyn reached over and squeezed his forearm. He glanced at her and nodded, his expression shifting from irritation to quiet resolution. _

_Instinctively, Danny rolled his eyes at his father-in-law and looked away only to see Dr. Jaffe eyeing him curiously. He planted a smile on his face and tried to look like he was just kidding around but the doctor simply frowned and jotted something down in his notebook. He cringed internally wondering what he wrote down._

_The rest of the session was pretty ordinary, just everyone talking about their plans for when Diego was in the hospital. Danny was pretty sure that the good doctor was going to let his eye roll slide but when they were getting ready to leave, when Dr. Jaffe took him aside and asked if maybe he would like to have a one-on-one session. Danny told him no, that he was fine, but the doctor just nodded his head and said that he was available if he ever wanted to discuss anything and he was well trained in conflict resolution._

_Danny smiled and said he would think about it. _

XoX

The elevator stopped and he made his way to the bullpen. He sipped his coffee as he started to his desk when he saw Paul and a few other agents crowded around a desk. They were talking in low whispers and pointing at the computer monitor. It looked conspiratorial so he stepped over to find out what they were up to.

"What's going on?" he asked, casually sipping his coffee.

Paul looked up at him and waved him over. "It looks like your boy is in big trouble."

Curious, Danny walked to where they were gathered and peeked over the bundle of shoulders and heads to see the computer monitor opened up to a news page. The title read, "Kelly Grant Pregnancy Rumors." Below it was a slightly blurry photo taken through a café window of Kelly talking to…Martin?

"What the hell is this?" Danny asked as he leaned in closer for verification.

"Looks like your buddy Marty is stepping out on his wife in a big way," one of the other agents commented with a sneer.

"Yeah," another agent agreed. "But man, you gotta hand it to him. First a wife who looks as fine as his and now his mistress is a movie star. When he cheats he does it in a big league style. He must have some serious mack daddy skills."

Infuriated with the snide comments of the agents about his two best friends, Danny reached over and shut off the monitor. "Why don't you idiots go back to work? I'm sure this is just a big misunderstanding," he said authoritatively even though his mind was reeling, wondering just what in the hell Martin was thinking by seeing Kelly. The gaggle of agents disbanded and they all grumbled as they went off in separate directions with him continuing, "And in case you forget, agents Fitzgerald and Spade are your superiors and if they hear you talking trash like this there will be consequences." As soon as they were all out sight, he looked over at Paul and asked, "Do Martin or Sam know about this?"

"Samantha does," Paul replied, folding his arms and sitting on the edge of the table. "She saw it on the screen in Times Square on our way to an interview. She made me turn around and come here and she bolted straight for Martin's office. If he didn't know before he sure knows now."

Danny glanced down the hallway leading to Martin's office. "Maybe I should go down there and check on things. She has a hot temper," he paused and looked back at Paul adding, "not to mention a gun."

"She was pretty mad," Paul commented knowingly. "I was scared of her and she's not even my wife." He cocked an eyebrow and asked, "Do you think it's true?"

"No way," Danny replied, shaking his head. "He totally loves Sam and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her or the kids." He smiled and met Paul eyes. "But he is a naïve idiot sometimes so I'm pretty sure he thought his lunch or whatever with Kelly was perfectly innocent."

Paul's eyes fixed on something over his shoulder as he said, "It must have gone okay. She doesn't look mad."

Danny followed his gaze and landed on Sam strutting back to the bullpen with a smile on her face. To anyone who didn't really know her she would like perfectly confident and calm but he had known her long enough to recognize her poker face enough to know that she was lying.

She strode towards where they stood and in an overly nice voice she said, "Hey guys." She smiled broadly and said, "Paul, I'm ready to go if you are."

Paul nodded and went to get his jacket off the back of his chair. When he was out of ear range Danny, watching her carefully, asked, "You okay?"

She made a face and replied, "Please, this whole thing is just tabloid fiction." She smiled and folded her arms. "I talked to Martin and he is going to take care of it."

"Sam, I know you and you are not fine."

Her eyes darted to Paul, making sure he wasn't listening and she quietly said, "Martin told me it was misunderstanding and while I believe him I am really fucking angry that he put me, and our family, in this position." They both heard Paul walking back over so she quickly finished, "So while I am super pissed off I am not about to let the rumor mill spin any more than it already has so I am going to look like I am fine and dandy."

Paul stepped up and shook his keys. "Let's hit the road."

She nodded and said, "See you later, Danny," before turning around and walking out with Paul.

Danny watched them go before marching directly to Martin's office. He could see his team huddled together and talking in hushed tones like the other agents earlier. They all looked up at him as he stepped into Martin's office, not bothering to knock.

Martin was pacing in his office, his cell phone pressed up against his ear while talking so Danny shut the door and waited for him to get off the line.

"Kelly, this is Martin. Please call me as soon as you get this message. We need to make sure this entire thing gets straightened out. Call me." He clicked off his cell phone and looked over at him. "Don't you ever knock?"

"I think the question is whose boots have you been knocking?" Danny replied, walking over and sitting down in one of the chairs. "So talk to me, man, what's going on?"

Martin tilted his head back and ran his hands over his face. "I don't know how this happened. I just met her for coffee, and it wasn't even on purpose, it was just to pick up some damn tickets and now it's all a big mess." He lowered his head and sat down in his chair, telling Danny the whole story from Kelly's surprise visit to their house all the way to her request for some of Martin's little swimmers. "So, Sam is mad at me and I can't even get Kelly to answer her damn phone."

"Well, the sooner you end this the better," Danny said, leaning back in his chair. "We should go to her place."

"We?"

"You sure as hell shouldn't go alone," he replied, shaking his head. "You need to tell her to straighten this out and issue a public apology to you and Sam and if you go alone it will only make things worse. You need me because when Sam finds out you went to Kelly's place you will need a witness to corroborate the story."

Martin nodded. "You're right, thanks man." He stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair. "You're a good friend to help me."

"Yeah, well, we were best men in each other's wedding. It's my duty to make sure your marriage lasts," Danny replied with a wink. Martin nodded and moved towards the door ahead of him so he took the opportunity to reach over and whack him on the back of the head. Martin yelped and looked at him, shocked by what he did. Danny glared back and said, "That's for being an dumb ass and not staying away from Kelly after Sam warned you. For gods sake, your wife is armed and you're lucky she didn't shoot little Fitzy off."

"You didn't have to hit me, you jerk," Martin replied, rubbing the back of his head.

"I had to do it to remind you to stop being a bonehead and you will stay out of trouble," Danny replied with a smile as he opened the door. "Now let's go clear this entire thing up and you can thank me for being such a good friend later."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

XoXoXoX

"Hey, Jack," Paul said over the phone. "Samantha and I talked to Clark's sister and she said she hasn't spoken to him in almost six years."

"Did she say why?" Jack asked, tapping his ballpoint pen on the yellow legal pad.

"She said they never really got along and after their parents passed they just fell out of touch," Paul replied. "Sam and I both think it isn't related to his disappearance. Do you want us to head over to his work and see what we can dig up?"

"Yeah, just keep me updated," he answered before hanging up. He jotted a note on the paper about the missing accountant. So far, it looked like there was nothing going on their missing person's life other than leading a life of sheer boredom. He finished writing up his notes about what Paul had told him and then pushed the yellow pad back so he could return to what he was doing before the phone rang.

He hit the search button and waited for the system to gather any matching results.

It was his second day back at the office and he didn't know why he bothered showing up. He may be here in body but his mind was back at home wondering how Kate was doing. He considered going home but he knew that Maria was there, spending time with Kate and Hanna before she had to go back to Chicago and he didn't want to take time away from her. He knew how hard it was going to be for her to leave.

XoX

_Jack lingered in his study, wanting to give Maria time and space to be with the girls. He wished Elaine was home to help offer a distraction but she had to work late on a case that was going to trial in a few days. So he decided to occupy his time by doing some work so he read and re-read and re-read again, an old case report that after the third try he realized that the words just weren't processing so he shut the folder closed and stuck it back in his briefcase. _

_He grabbed the newspaper off the sofa, deciding to work on the crossword puzzle. He read through some clues when there was a knock at the door and he said, "Come in!" The door opened and Maria appeared. "Hey," he greeted. _

"_Hi," she replied, her eyes scanning his office and it occurred to him that she had never been to this part of the apartment. When she was in town she normally only went as far as the kitchen or living room. It was strange to think that this woman, the mother of his children, wouldn't know something as simple as his office décor. Of course, he hadn't even seen her new house in Chicago, either. She hovered in the doorway and said, "I hope I'm not interrupting."_

"_Nah," he replied, shaking his head as he waved her in. "Just trying to keep busy."_

_She nodded her head and stepped inside. She looked essentially the same but her hair was shorter and these days had a lot more gray than brown. She sat down on the sofa so he took a seat on his worn leather lazy boy recliner. She clasped her hands together, resting them between her knees. She looked tired and worn as she said, "I can't believe this is happening to our baby." _

"_Me either," he replied, suddenly feeling closer to Maria than he had in years. Despite everything they have gone through together, the good, the bad, and the really, really ugly, they were forever united as parents. It was a bond that could never be broken and when their children were suffering, they both felt it equally. "I know Kate is really happy that you're here." _

_She nodded sadly. "I tried to convince her to come home with me but she said no," she tilted her head, "that here life was here and she wouldn't be pushed out of it." _

"_I can talk to her if you want," he offered. He didn't really want her to leave but maybe being someplace that didn't hold such painful memories would be a good thing. _

_Maria shook her head. "No, she's right. She lives here and she needs to feel safe here again."_

"_I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I should have protected her better. At least make sure she lived in a secure building." _

"_Jack, it's not your fault," Maria replied. "Despite what you may think you don't have super human police powers where you can't stop all crimes."_

"_She's our daughter," he replied, his anger at the situation rising to the surface. "I should have protected her somehow…_

_She released a heavy breath and softly said, "Jack, I am spending too much energy blaming the guy who did this to try and blame you, too. Besides, I need for you to focus your anger on catching him." _

_He didn't reply but simply nodded his head._

_She sighed heavily. "Do you still think that it might have been Reggie?"_

_He released a heavy breath and looked past her at a photo of him with Kate and Hanna when they were teenagers. "I don't know," he rubbed his chin, "and I hate to even think he would but I'm not ready to rule him out either."_

"_The girls seem to think that it couldn't be him," she replied, quietly._

"_I know," he said, shaking his head. "But I also have been working long enough to know that sometimes even the closest friends and family are shocked to find out something about someone they love."_

"_What about Vivian?" _

"_What about her?" he replied curtly. "I can't think about her feelings right now. Kate is my priority and I have to focus on that. I know that if it was reversed and Kate was accused of hurting Reggie she would feel the exact same way. She would want to catch whoever was responsible."_

_She fixed her eyes on his and asked, "You will catch him won't you? You'll find whoever did this to our little girl and make him pay."_

_Jack leaned forward, reaching out to take Maria's hand. He gave it a firm squeeze and promised, "I promise you that whoever did this will be brought to justice – one way or another." _

XoX

Jack shook his head, pulling himself out of the memory. The computer beeped and his eyes read over all the information available on any rapes that occurred near or around college campuses in the last few months. He was determined to find any connection or possible lead. He needed to find the man responsible and he knew he couldn't count on the local police to work as hard on the case or to be as committed as he was to finding the son-of-a-bitch that hurt his daughter. As far as Jack was concerned the manhunt was under way and he wasn't going to stop looking until the man was behind bars or under six feet of earth.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

XoXoXoX

"Your papers will be returned to you next week and don't forget that you can find your reserved readings online," Viv announced as her class slowly shuffled their way out of the classroom.

She started gathering her materials when Randi appeared next to her. "Professor Johnson?"

"Yes, Randi," she replied as she closed her textbook and placed it in her book bag. It took all her will power to force herself to sound pleasant when in reality she just wanted the woman to go away so she could go home and return to worrying about her son. "Did you have a question?"

Randi bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting around before landing on her. "I, uh, I heard about the incident with your son, Reggie."

Her chest tightened. "Excuse me?"

Randi shifted her feet, gripping her books tightly to her chest. "I heard that he was brought in for questioning about the rapes going on around local campuses."

Viv cleared her throat. "Yeah, well, he's innocent and they didn't press charges. My son is innocent." She reached over and picked up the stack of leftover syllabuses and righted them, needing to touch something to stay grounded so she didn't start raging in defense of Reggie. "How did you hear?"

"My friend Judah works for the college paper with Kate," Randi replied. "I just wanted you to know that they are running a piece on it tomorrow. They held off publicizing it because she was one of their own."

Viv nodded sadly, disappointed that it was going to be publicized but not surprised either. "Thank you for giving me a heads up."

Randi nodded and then, looking emboldened said, "I also wanted to tell you that I think he's innocent."

"That's very nice of you to say…"

"I didn't say that to make you feel better," Randi interrupted. "I've been following the rapes, trying to make a profile of the rapist and your son doesn't fit the pattern."

"You're writing up a profile?"

"I told you, I want to be in the FBI," the young woman explained. "I want to be a profiler," she smiled embarrassedly, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I have ever since I saw _Silence of the Lambs_."

Ignoring the reference, Viv sat on the ledge of her desk and asked, "What sort of profile have you created?"

"Well," Randi replied, setting her books down on the table and fishing out a worn leather notebook. "Most of my information is on my laptop but I have managed to talk to two of the girls who were attacked. They both said that the man who attacked him was someone they had never met. Now, I know that they both dated Reggie…"

"How do you know that?" Viv asked, surprised by her student's in-depth knowledge of the cases.

"I, uh, I called them after I heard that Reggie was being interviewed," Randi explained, a red blush appearing on her cheeks. "I thought I should follow through…"

Viv smiled at the young woman's eagerness. "No, that's good."

Randi smiled and continued, "They both said that they knew Reggie well enough, his body frame, smell, and…um, other intimate things. Plus, this guy attacked them out of the blue, no warning or signs beforehand. Reggie had already been with them, so it couldn't have been about sex. And if it was a power thing, why? He had already proven that he could have them and he wasn't in any sort of competition with them. And while I don't know anything about your home life, I'm guessing its not some sort of mommy dearest issues."

"Thank you for your faith in me," Viv quipped. "What else?"

Randi hopped onto the desk and sat down alongside Viv, reading through her notebook. "One of them described her attacker as being about five-nine and Reggie is what, six-two?"

"Six three, " Viv replied, a small smile on her face.

"Right, so there's a big height difference." Randi said with a determined nod. "Plus, he is so obviously connected to each victim. He is your son, I'm sure he would know enough to at least try and hide the connections. It's just way too neat."

"I agree," Viv said as she folded her arms across her chest, pleased to have a surprising ally in her student. "I know in my heart that my son didn't do this but until they find the real man responsible, he is going to have the stigma of being the last one questioned."

"I know," Randi replied. "But I am going to keep working this. Judah told me that he would let me look at his notes after talking to Kate."

Viv turned to face her. "Is there any chance you will let me look over what you find?"

"Of course," she replied, her face glowing with pride. "I would love to work on this with you."

"Can you email me whatever else you have?" Viv asked as she stood up. "I've done some research but it's pretty limited. Maybe between the two of us we can come up with something more solid."

"Yeah, that would be such an honor," Randi gushed as she stood and picked up her books. "I'll do it as soon as I get home."

She watched as Randi rushed out of the classroom and paused, her bag in hand. She felt exhilarated by the wealth of information that her student provided to her. So with her bag in hand, she walked to the door, ready to find the man responsible for the rapes as well as restore her son's honor.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

XoXoXoX

Martin walked slightly slower than Danny as they moved down the sidewalk towards Kelly's building. The sounds of the busy New York streets sounded like a soft, steady hum in his ears as he focused on how to play the conversation. Should he be confrontational, rant and rave and insist that she get this mess straightened out immediately? Or should he play it cool? Just let her know what needs to be done and wait for it to resolve itself.

"Play it cool," Danny said as she moved around an elderly woman walking her dog. He looked over at his friend and briefly wondered if he had been thinking aloud. "Escúcheme, if Sam is right and she is messing with you then it's your job to make sure she doesn't know that she's getting to you."

"I am listening to you but I don't think you are listening to me," Martin replied as they turned the corner and moved near the building. He looked over at Danny and added, "I really don't think she did it intentionally."

He stopped walking and playfully poked Martin in the shoulder. "You're married. It doesn't matter what you think; it's what Sam is thinking that you have to worry about." He laughed and started to walk again when he suddenly stopped, staring straight ahead. "Shit."

He followed Danny's line of sight in time to see a throng of reporters shout, "It's him!" before running towards them.

Danny grabbed him by the lapel and ordered, "Stick with me," as he acted like his bodyguard pushing and shoving their way past the reporters into the building. The reporters' cameras flashed brightly, almost blinding him. He could barely see and held his hand up to cover his eyes. He found himself suddenly sympathizing with celebrities when he felt a sharp pull as Danny shoved him back. He looked around and realized that he was standing in Kelly's elevator. He looked up to see Danny standing just outside the doors, shouting, "Look, this is all going to be cleared up. Just back the hell off for now."

The doors started to close so he spoke up, "Danny, I think you should…"

Without turning around, Danny held up his hand and said, "Shut up, Martin, let me do this," before continuing his tirade against the press.

"But," Martin began as the doors started to slide shut. A second before they shut he saw Danny turn around to argue with him but before he could say anything the doors closed and the elevator started to move up, with Martin all alone on his way to see Kelly.

So much for a witness for his defense.

He took a deep breath and waited as the elevator ascended. Once it stopped, he took a step forward as the doors slid open to find Kelly standing right in front of him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised. She was wearing a pair of dark grey slacks, a green button up silk blouse and her hair was pulled back. She looked past him into the empty elevator compartment. "Is Sal with you?"

"Who's Sal?" he asked, stepping out of the elevator.

"Sal Kahn, he's my agent. He's supposed to come here so we can have a press conference," she looked at him sadly and said, "I am so sorry about all of this."

"I hope so," he said as he stepped closer. "This thing is a huge mess and it's going to affect my family, my friends, my job…"

"I said I'm sorry," she replied, sounding wounded.

"My wife thinks you set this whole thing up," he breathed out. Kelly lowered her eyes and looked away. She was quiet for a long beat and he asked, "Did you, Kel, did you orchestrate this entire thing?"

Still not facing him she shook her head, her shoulders hunched. "No," she finally replied before blushing and softly adding, "I don't know, maybe."

He ran a hand over his face. "Kelly, how could you…?"

She looked up at him, tears welling in her eyes. His stomach clenched, he hated seeing women cry but two in one morning was torture. She licked her lips and said, "Look, I didn't mean for this part to happen."

"This part?" Martin repeated. He suddenly wished that Danny was here to act as a buffer.

She wrapped her arms around herself and moved to sit down on the sofa, quietly whispering to herself, "How did I get here?"

He wanted to remain standing a safe distance away but he also knew that he needed to resolve this. He walked over and sat down across from her and asked, "Kelly, what do you mean?"

She wiped a tear from her cheek and began, "Do you realize you are the last guy to tell me no? I mean, most men would do anything to date a movie star but you, that stuff doesn't matter does it? For you it's always been about the person inside."

He did reply, just giving her a soft, sympathetic look.

"God, Martin, you don't even know the affect you have do you?" she said with a small sad laugh. "I have been thinking about all the things I sacrificed for my career, things I put off doing thinking there would still be time; marriage, kids. And then seeing you again, realizing how much time has passed…it just brought so many feelings to the surface." She wiped her eyes again. "I know this sounds crazy but I always thought of you as the guy who got away."

He started wringing his hands, feeling uncomfortable by her declaration. "Kelly, I meant what I said. I love my wife and family."

"I know," she replied, taking a deep breath. "I wasn't kidding when I asked you to donate. I have been seriously considering it and I knew that all those qualities I see in you I would want in my own child. I hadn't really planned on asking you that day in the restaurant, I am usually smart enough to know better, But when I saw that you barely wanted to be around me I kind of just panicked, got desperate. It was selfish and stupid."

He felt badly for Kelly. To see a woman who was normally so confidant and vital looking so sad and broken. "Kelly…"

"No, please don't. Don't say something nice and comforting," she said with a sad smile. "Don't be nice to me after this big mess I caused because I was being selfish."

"Would you prefer I yell?" he asked, jokingly.

"No," she replied, her lips curving up into a smile. The tension was beginning to dissipate and she asked, "I can't even imagine how angry your wife must be at me right now."

"Let's just say that if I were you I would stay at least a hundred yards from her for, oh, the next five years," he replied with a grin and she winced. He looked at her seriously and asked, "What are you going to tell the press?"

"The truth," she replied, carefully using her index finger to wipe the drying tears out from under eyes. "Why? Did you tell your wife a different version?"

"No, I told her what happened," he said, feeling some sense of relief that this mess would be going away very soon. "That I went to get the passes, we started talking about you wanting a child and that the waitress misunderstood."

"Good," she replied with a smile before quickly standing up. "You forgot the passes by the way."

He watched as she walked to the table by the elevator and opened a drawer, puling out a manila envelope. "Here they are."

He walked over and accepted the envelope. "Thanks. I'm pretty sure there is no way in hell Sam will let us go now but I can find someone who might want them."

She released a nervous laugh and nodded.

He didn't know what else to say when the elevator doors opened up and Danny came barreling out. "Martin!" He looked a bit flustered as his eyes darted back and forth between Martin and Kelly as he asked, "Is everything cool?"

Martin glanced quickly at Kelly. "Yeah, everything's fine."

"Kelly, what's going on?" a man with a deep authoritative voice asked. Martin looked over to see a slightly portly man wearing a pin striped suit looking at him curiously. "I thought you told me that you weren't involved with this guy?"

She stepped towards her agent, waving him off. "I'm not. He just came by to make sure we get this all straightened out."

Sal pointed at Danny and asked, "And who's this guy? He was down there talking to the press."

"Hey, I was just trying to fend off those barracudas from my friend," Danny replied, sounding offended by the accusation he was trying to get some media attention.

Kelly smiled at Danny. "Welcome to my life." She squared her shoulders and looked directly at him and Danny. "It might be best if you guys wait a few minutes after Sal and I go down and then exit out of the service elevator through the kitchen." She pointed down the hall and finished, "I'm sure once the reporters realize we are doing a press conference they will clear out from there so you can leave unnoticed."

"Thanks," Martin replied, feeling very sad for her.

She planted a big smile on her face and turned to look at Sal. "Alrighty, let's go do this." She said a quick goodbye to the two of them and boarded the elevator.

Martin watched as she gave him a small wave just before the doors closed before turning to look at Danny. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Danny nodded and started walking with him down the hall to the kitchen. "You know, I don't even know if they have to do the press conference. After I told them about the misunderstanding they really seemed to back off."

"I doubt that," Martin commented as he passed through the kitchen and pressed the call button for the service elevator.

"Como que you doubt that? I am very persuasive," he replied with a smirk. "Trust me, when Danny Taylor speaks, people listen. There is no way that they think you and Kelly are in any way romantically connected."

Martin shook his head, amused by Danny's overwhelming confidence. While he doubted his friend's ability to convince blood thirsty paparazzi, he was certain that after Kelly's press conference this entire thing would slowly fade away. His only big concern now was convincing his wife to take pity on his stupidity. He wasn't quite sure how he would be able to do it but he was pretty sure it was going to involve him buying flowers and chocolate.

And groveling, lots and lots of groveling.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

XoXoXoX

"So I think we need to figure out why he was making all those calls to," Sam finished as she closed her notebook. She glanced at Paul who nodded his head in agreement.

Jack nodded his head and in his scratchy voice replied, "Good. Well, let me know what you find out."

Paul stood up and walked out of the office but Sam lingered behind, waiting for the office door to close before she quietly said, "Why don't you go home? We can handle things here and you really should be with your family."

He slumped back in his chair and looked at a framed picture of both Hanna and Kate. "Nah, the girls are spending the day with Maria before she leaves and Elaine is in court. Besides, I'd feel even more useless there."

"How is Kate doing?" she asked, her heart heavy with sadness for what the young woman must be going through right now.

"She's as good as to be expected, I guess," he replied sadly. "She's putting on a brave face for Maria but you can tell she's lying…"

"She's just trying to process it all," she said, trying to sound comforting.

"I know," he breathed out. He glanced at his computer and said, "I've been reading through rape cases from the last year and unless it was a date rape most of them are unsolved."

She knew what he was alluding to – the accusation that Reggie may have been the one involved. When she and Martin had returned from his mother's funeral Frances told them that Viv had called. Martin called her back to find out that she was hoping that he would be able to help her get access to cases and that's when they got the details regarding the possibility of Reggie being the one. She knew that Martin had agreed to help her but that was the last she heard.

But she also knew that it might be best to not tell Jack at this time so she simply asked, "So no new leads?"

"Not yet," he said bitterly. "But I am going to keep working it until I find one."

"Do you need any help?" she asked, certain that no matter how Jack and Viv approached the investigation the ultimate goal was to find Kate's attacker.

"Not yet," he replied, giving her a grateful look.

"Okay, let me know if you need me to do anything," she stood up and started to leave before stopping and looking down at him. "Just be careful that you keep your objectivity. You are very close to this case and I would hate for you to read the evidence based on what you want to find and not at what is."

He gave her a hard look. "I always do." She gave him a polite smile and nodded before walking to the door. She had her hand on the door when he spoke up, "Sam?"

"Yeah?" she asked, looking back at him.

"I didn't have a chance to tell you but I'm sorry about Katherine."

She gave him a small smile and said, "Thank you," before exiting his office.

As she walked back to the bullpen she fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist. It was a Paloma Picasso cabochon stone bracelet. It was an extravagance to own such an expensive piece of jewelry but it was bequeathed to her from Katherine. Before they left Parker distributed a few pieces that she knew her mom wanted Sam to have.

XoX

"_I don't know if I can take this," Sam replied as Parker handed her a teak jewelry box filled with beautiful pieces of jewelry. _

_The family had just finished breakfast when Parker took Sam aside, asking to speak to her in private. She took her into Katherine's study and they both sat on the loveseat by the window when Parker handed her the box, saying that it was written into Katherine's will that Sam inherit the pieces and hopefully pass them onto Grace as she grew up._

"_Mom wanted you to have these pieces," she replied, a quiver of emotion in her voice. _

"_Are you sure you and Reese don't want them?" she asked even though she had long coveted the bracelets, earrings and cameo locket. "You were her daughters, her family."_

"_You are family, too, Samantha," Parker replied with so much conviction that it reminded her so much of Katherine. _

_She nodded and clasped the bracelet around her wrist; it fit perfectly. "I'm going to miss her so much. She was my anchor to Martin all those years ago. I don't know how I would have managed without her." _

_Parker tilted her head so it rested against the back of the sofa and said, "She said she didn't know how she would have managed without you." She glanced out the window for a long beat before looking back at her and saying, "She and Martin got along okay before he had been shot but during those months he was in a coma, it changed her and it changed my father. I don't think I had ever seen her so scared before." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ears and continued, "She spent hours every day talking to Martin and one day I asked her about what. She told me that she would read your emails and talk to him about whatever you had written. It was strictly a one-sided conversation of course, but she would talk to him about any topic you would share. She said she learned more about Martin's adult life from your emails than she had from his visits or phone calls." _

_Tears welled in Sam's eyes, remembering how precious Katherine's emails were to her as well. "And I got to learn more about Martin from her." _

"_Take these pieces and when you were them, think of her because you are family," Parker had a small sad smile on her face as she reached into the box and ran her fingers over the ivory cameo. She held it up for Sam and said, "And believe me Samantha, in my mom's opinion you were much more a daughter than a daughter-in-law."_

XoX

Sam adjusted the bracelet once more before dropping her hand to her side as she strode into the bullpen to help Paul with the background check. She sat down at the conference table and started reading through pages of phone records while Paul sat across from her with the laptop open as he reviewed their missing person's bank records.

Every now and then she could feel a pair of eyes watching her and she would look up in time to see some of her fellow agents suddenly look away, as if interested in the glass window pane that lined the hallway or found their fingernails to be fascinating. She would stare at them, challenging them to talk to her about all the media accusations flying about Martin and Kelly but so far no one had the courage to ask her about it.

She rolled her eyes at them and returned her attention to the forms when she heard Paul laugh and mutter, "What the hell?"

She looked over at him to see him staring at one of the television screens mounted on the wall. The channel was set to a news channel and she saw Kelly standing next to a chubby man in a suit as she talked to reporters. The sound was muted so Sam grabbed the remote off of one of the shelves and turned up the volume in time to hear Kelly say, "…while I am actively looking at having a child of my own I am not having an affair with the man featured in the photo that was published. He is just an old friend and he is happily married. I apologize for any embarrassment or inconvenience this misunderstanding may have caused him and his family."

Sam started to give sigh of relief when one of the reporters asked, "Is it true that he told you no because it would upset his life partner?"

"Yes," she replied with a small smile. "They are very much in love and he did not want to upset their life."

"Were you specifically seeking to have your baby fathered by a gay man?"

Kelly scrunched her eyes in confusion and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Your mystery man's boyfriend talked to us earlier and he said that they were in a committed relationship and were raising their own children."

The show cut to some video of Danny standing where Kelly was moments earlier. He was looking cool and confident as he said, "Yes, I am his partner, for lack of a better word." She couldn't hear what question was being asked but he laughed and replied, "Yes, we have kids and we know how important parenting is, you can't take it lightly. But they are also so wonderful. Recently, we were watching our kids during a school play and I think it's safe to say we were both beaming with pride that day." He laughed again and looked at another reporter who was asking a question that again she couldn't hear. He had a snarky smirk on his face as he replied, "I prefer to think of us as extra special…" before the show cut back to Kelly who was shaking her head but it was clear that the reporters were ignoring her protests.

Sam groaned and lowered her head, the palm of her hand pressed up against her forehead. She couldn't decide what was worse, everyone thinking that Martin was having an affair with Kelly or him having an "extra special" relationship with Danny. She looked up at the screen, wanting to hear Kelly adamantly reply that they had it wrong but at this exact minute the only thing she could hear was the roaring laughter of every agent around her as they watched the show.

She turned around to see that even Paul was laughing so hard that there were tears in his eyes. She gave him a steely glare and turned to look back at the news show to see that it had cut to commercial. She clicked the TV back to mute and turned around to face all the snickering agents. "If anyone has anything they want to say, don't hold back, say it."

Just like she figured, most of the agents lowered their heads and remained quiet. Everyone that is except Paul who just started laughing louder as he said, "Come on, Samantha, even you have to appreciate how funny this is," he stepped closer, folding his arms over his chest, "I mean, Danny inadvertently just outed himself and Martin on national TV. While, we all know," he waved his hand around at all of the agents, "that they aren't gay and Danny probably didn't realize how what he was saying sounded, it's pretty hilarious."

Despite herself, Sam's lips twitched into a grin. "It's a little funny."

"Oh, no, it's a lot funny." Paul laughed and stepped closer. "And I for one cannot wait until they get back here because I plan on having a lot of fun tormenting them about this for a long time." She smiled at his obvious mischievous glee as he looked over at the other agents who were all smiling now; pleased that Sam's irritation was slowly dissipating. He pointed to one of the agents and asked, "Does your cousin still work for that office supply store?" The agent nodded. "How long do you think it would take him to get us a couple of nameplates that read: Extra Special Agent Danny Fitzgerald and Special Life Partner Martin Taylor?"

As Paul and the other agents conspired, Sam smiled at them; happy in the knowledge that Danny's obvious attempt at running interference has completely changed the scandal from one of infidelity to one rife with humor. She had to admit that not only does this new development detract from the Kelly pregnancy rumor but this also meant that Martin was going to pay big time at the office. When it came to real serious issues, everyone kept their distance and never directly asked questions but something like this was going to be office fodder for months.

"Hey Sam," Paul called out.

She looked over at where he stood with the other agents plotting practical jokes against Danny and her husband. "Yeah?"

"I don't suppose you have a copy of your wedding photo that we can photoshop?"

She gave him a wicked grin and replied, "Oh, you bet I do."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

XoXoXoX

"Taylor," Danny answered his cell as he exited the office elevator on the twelfth floor. He was still feeling a sense of elation at having single-handedly resolving the Martin/Kelly scandal. He felt a Martin give him a friendly punch in the arm before he nodded his head as way of goodbye and walked off in the opposite direction.

"Hey, it's just me," Emma greeted. "I wanted to remind you that I have to attend a lecture on suturing techniques at the hospital this afternoon and then I have a PTA meeting tonight so I won't be home until late."

"No problem," he replied as he casually lingered in the hallway.

Her voice got low and soft as she asked, "So give me the details, what is this I hear about Martin and Kelly Grant? I caught a snippet of it on the news this morning. It's total bullshit, right?"

"Oh, I totally cleared it up," he replied as he began telling her of the series of events leading up to his impromptu press conference in Kelly's lobby. "Check out the one of the celebrity news channels and if you see anything with me be sure to record it. I'll make a copy and give it to them for their next anniversary. You know, remind them how I basically saved their marriage."

"Wow, that is so weird," she softly replied.

"What's weird?"

"I can actually hear your ego growing over the phone," she replied with a laugh.

"I'll see you later smart ass," he laughingly replied before hanging up.

Practically strutting, he walked into the bullpen to find Paul seated with a few other agents at the conference table chatting animatedly. When he approached they all looked up at him and applauded. He gave them a big grin, knowing that this would be the first of several accolades at having cleared up this entire fiasco. He bowed at them and glanced around for the person he knew would want to give him a big hug of gratitude. "Where's Sam?"

Paul stood up and replied, "She and Jack went to go talk to our MP's ex-girlfriend."

Feeling a little disappointed that she wasn't here to thank him he shrugged it off and asked, "So I guess everyone saw my little talk with the press."

"Oh, we definitely saw it," Paul replied with a snicker before stepping up and placing one hand on Danny's shoulder. "I just wish you trusted me enough to tell me in person."

"You knew that there was no way that Martin would cheat on Sam with that woman," he replied. He briefly wondered if maybe Martin and Sam would get him some sort of gift as a thank you.

"Well, yeah, especially when he has someone as extra-special as you," Paul replied as the entire table burst into laughter.

Danny narrowed his eyes at him and was about to ask what was so funny when out of the corner of his eye he saw an image of himself pushing Martin through the crowd of paparazzi in Kelly's lobby. All of the color drained out of his face when he read the headline under his picture, "Extra-Special Donor?" He opened his mouth to ask where the remote was when Paul appeared next to him and upped the volume.

"The partner of actress' Kelly Grant's sperm donor speaks out," the newscaster announced before cutting to him talking to the press an hour earlier.

"Yes, I am his partner, for lack of a better word." He could feel his heartbeat quicken as realization dawned on him how what he said was being misconstrued. "Yes, we have kids and we know how important parenting is, you can't take it lightly. But they are also so wonderful. Recently, we were watching our kids during a school play and I think it's safe to say we were both beaming with pride that day."

Shit, shit, shit, shit, and shit.

He saw himself smile broadly and proclaim, "I prefer to think of us as extra special…"

And once again – shit.

Behind him he heard roaring laughter and he spun around with indignation and shouted, "This is totally, complete bullshit. They edited it all up to make it sound…"

"Like you and Martin," Paul held his hands up in air quotes, "are 'extra special partners'?"

He ran a shaky hand over his face. "This is so fucked up."

One of the other agents leaned back in his chair and said, "Don't worry, Danny, we accept you now that you have come out of the closet."

"Not that there's anything wrong with that," another agent contributed.

"I am not gay," Danny insisted, shaking his head and pointing to the TV, "Those reporters are totally misquoting me and editing it to make it look like something it isn't."

"So that isn't you saying that you are 'extra special' when the reporter asked if you were special friends?" Paul asked.

"I thought she was asking me if we were special agents," Danny retorted.

Bating his eyelashes and in a sing-song school girl voice, Paul asked, "So, what makes you extra special?"

"I was being charming damn it," he snapped back. He knew that this was not going to go away anytime soon. He knew this because if this happened to anyone other than him he wouldn't let it go.

"I'm just wondering why he said they were partners at all," yet another agent commented to Paul.

Danny huffed and tapped his foot in irritation. "Because I thought partners would be easier for them to understand rather than explain that we aren't really partners and we work in teams and technically we're not even on the same team since he heads up his own unit."

"Why didn't you just say you were his friend?" Paul asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know, I thought partners would sum it up best," he replied, growing hotter and hotter at having to defend himself. He still didn't know how it all went so bad so quickly. "This is a just a big misunderstanding!"

They all grew quiet and he was certain that he was getting his point across when he realized they weren't looking at him but at the TV screen behind him. He turned around to see what they were looking at and on the TV screen was a grainy video of him wearing his old black leather pants singing karaoke on stage to a group of men. The camera panned to find Martin sitting in a booth with two other men watching him perform with amusement.

Oh dear lord, please let this all be a bad dream.

He looked over at the agents who were all pointing and laughing with unabashed glee. He was sure that if anyone could die of embarrassment it would be him, right here, right now.

"Oh man, Danny!" Paul said laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. "Who knew you had such a talent?"

He remembered the case vividly, it was years ago when he and Martin worked undercover to get information about a missing high school student. They posed as a couple but after a misunderstanding Martin decided to seek revenge on Danny by arranging to have a few of the other men in the club put him on the spot. He was basically ordered to serenade Martin by two of them men they needed to interview, a couple by the names of Paul and Mike.

He marched up to the screen and shut off the TV. He glared at the entire group of agents and growled, "That was for a case! We were undercover!" He then started to explain the circumstances that lead to him singing in a gay bar to a room full of men. "It was years ago when Martin was on Jack's team. We were investigating the disappearance of a teenage boy and we learned that he frequented a gay bar…"

XoX

_The club owner Rick stood on stage and announced, "Attention! We are going to start the karaoke a little early tonight since we have a special guest singer, Daniel, who would like to serenade his love, Marty." Rick pointed directly at their table and more specifically, at Danny. "Oh, he's shy, let's all give him a big round of applause and see if we can get this cutie up on stage! C'mon!"_

_The entire club started applauding and a spotlight landed right on Danny. Shit. He could see Mike, Paul, and Martin smiling at him as a couple of other men came up to the booth and dragged him onstage. Double shit. _

_He scanned the room looking for the nearest exit when the familiar tune of the Elvis hit started playing. Knowing that he was now committed to singing, he hesitated before stepping up to the microphone and began, "Wise men say only fools rush in, but I can't help falling in love with you." He swallowed and continued, "Shall I stay? Would it be a sin? I can't help falling in love with you."_

_The crowd started swaying to the music, seeming to really enjoy his singing. Encouraged, he found himself really getting into the song. "Like a river flows surely to the sea, darling so it goes…some things are meant to be." _

_The crowd shouted out words of praise and well as hoots and hollers and Danny suddenly felt like Elvis himself – a total rock star. "Take my hand...take my whole life too…for I can't help falling in love with you. Like a river flows surely to the sea...darling, so it goes…Some things are meant to be…take my hand, take my whole life too…For I can't help falling in love with you."_

_When he was done the entire club burst into applause and he took a bow. Slowly, the crowd started chanting, "Encore! Encore!" _

_He grinned from ear to ear and hurried towards Rick, telling him which song to put on next. He came back on stage and started singing 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', "If you need me, call me. No matter where you are, no matter how far. Just call my name. I'll be there in a hurry…."_

_Danny looked out into the crowd and saw Martin, Paul, and Mike laughing hysterically. It was then he knew he'd been duped but he was having such a great time he suddenly didn't care._

XoX

"So you see, I had to sing. I was undercover and I basically had no choice," Danny finished, wondering how he missed it being recorded.

"Okay, I get having to sing the one song but you're practically doing an entire set," Paul retorted, jerking his head at the TV. "Elton John does less showboating." He paused and leaned in as if sharing a secret and said, "He's gay, too, by the way."

Danny practically stomped his foot as he shouted back, "It's not my fault I have stage presence!"

"Calm down," Paul replied, motioning with his hand for him to settle down before smiling broadly at the other agents. "Sheez, what a drama queen."

"Shut the hell up," he grumbled at the group before exiting the bullpen and walking towards Martin's office. He needed to warn him if he didn't already know.

He was pretty sure that he wasn't going to get that thank you gift anymore.

He walked past Martin's team and saw them all laughing at him as he past. He was now certain that Martin knew. He glared at them, hoping his tough look would scare them to quiet but they just laughed harder. He sighed heavily and reached Martin's office.

The blinds were still pulled closed so he knocked on the door and heard Martin shout, "Unless you are here to discuss legitimate work business go the hell away!"

He pushed the door open and went inside. Martin was lying on his sofa with one arm draped over his eyes. At hearing someone enter he moved his arm and looked over. When he saw it was Danny he groaned and closed his eyes again. "Please tell me exactly how you helped me today?"

Danny shifted nervously. "Well, no one thinks you are having an affair with Kelly anymore."

"True," Martin replied, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling. "But that's because they think I am having an affair with you." He moved to sit up and glanced at him. "I'd rather they still think it was with Kelly."

"Hey, I'm cuter and you know it," Danny quipped and Martin laughed. He sat down opposite of him, his elbows on his knees. "Man, I am sorry but I swear they are butchering everything I said."

Martin leaned back and laughed. "I hope so, I'd hate to think that announcing were a gay couple was your idea of helping."

"So, how do you want to handle this?" he asked.

Martin shook his head. "We don't. No one really thinks we're gay. We're just going to have to let the office have their laughs and pray that some dumb movie star or athlete really screws up in the next twenty-four hours so we become old news."

"Man, this is going to suck," Danny grumbled.

Martin stood up and walked up to his blinds. "Do me a favor and don't use the words 'man' and 'suck' around me for at least two years."

He started to open the blinds and Danny asked, "What are you doing? Don't you want your privacy until this passes?"

"All things considered, I'd rather not be alone in my office with you with the blinds drawn," Martin tugged the string to pull them open. "No offense."

He started to reply when he saw a big group of agents looking in at them with big grins on their faces as they clapped their hands, cheering and laughing. They were all gathered around a large blown up photo that Danny recognized as Martin and Sam's wedding photo except where Samantha's head should have been was Danny's face.

"Shit," they both declared at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

XoXoXoX

Viv felt exhilarated by her earlier conversation with Randi about facts regarding the campus rapes. She rushed into the apartment shouting, "Marcus! Wait until you hear what I did today…" She dropped her bag on the floor and put her keys onto the table. She looked around the quiet apartment and asked, "Marcus, where are you?"

"Kitchen," he replied, his voice low and even.

She practically skipped down the hall and pushed the kitchen door open, "Guess what? I have great news regarding Reggie…" she began before stopping short at the sight of Reggie and Marcus sitting at the island looking upset. "What's going on?"

Marcus looked at their son and slowly nodded. "Go ahead and tell her son."

With a sense of dread, she shuffled her way to the island and wordlessly sat down between her husband and son. Reggie was quiet for a long beat so she reached over and placed her hand on his. "Tell me already, what is it?"

"The partners called me into a meeting today," Reggie said, his voice cracking with emotion. "They said that a reporter from the college paper called the office asking about the accusations against me." He bit his lip, shaking his head angrily. "Then they said that the firm cannot be associated with a scandal and that this might be a good time for me to take some time off to evaluate my career plans."

"That's outrageous," Viv seethed. "Did you tell them that no charges were pressed against you and that…?"

Reggie jumped up and shouted, "I tried to tell them but they wouldn't listen to me! I knew that this was going to happen!" He paced the length of the kitchen looking like a caged tiger. "Mike Whitman was arrested for two DUI's this year but the partners just joke about it. He was totally guilty but because I'm black and he's white…" He picked up his coffee cup and threw it against the wall, shattering it to pieces. He had tears in his eyes as he shakily said, "I didn't do anything but just the implication is enough to destroy my life!"

"We can fix this, Reggie," Viv replied, trying to sound calm and optimistic even though she wanted to join him in his fury and break things and scream and yell. But she knew that the two of them losing control wouldn't help anything. "I was talking to one of my students and she has been researching the case…"

"It doesn't matter!" he replied, wiping the angry hot tears from his eyes. "No one cares that I am innocent, all they care about is that I was brought in for questioning. That's enough."

"No it isn't," Marcus replied through gritted teeth. Viv could feel her husband's anger rolling off of him in equal measure to her son's. "We need to work on clearing your name."

"What's the point? As far as everyone is concerned I've already been convicted," Reggie replied before storming out of the kitchen.

She started to follow him out when Marcus put his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "No, let me."

"I'm his parent, too," she replied, hurt that he seemed to think he was in a better position to console their son.

"I know babe," Marcus replied as he stood up and started to the kitchen door. "But I think I should talk to him right now."

"Why?"

"Because I know what its like to be a black man in the world," he replied as he exited the kitchen.

Viv shook her head and stared off into the distance, not really focusing. She didn't know how things went so bad so quickly. She was so excited by the leads that Randi had given her about the rapes but now she didn't know if catching the rapist was going to be enough to erase the stigma being branded on her son.

She bent her head forward, cradling it in her hands. She felt the familiar soreness in her throat as she began to choke up, remembering how excited Reggie was when he got the job at the Architecture Firm; the glint in his eyes as he proudly showed her and Marcus around his office.

XoX

"_Check it out," he said as he led them to his desk. _

_To celebrate his first week as an official architect she and Marcus stopped by his office after work to look around and then take him out for a celebratory dinner. He was giddy as he gave them a tour of the lobby, reception area, and even the break room. _

_He led them past rows of desks that all looked alike before stopping at the one that was his. It was tilted up and cluttered with pencils, a large ruler that Reggie had once explained to her but just looked like a big 'L,' a protractor, paperclips and erasers. He reached for a large rolled up paper that, after years of watching him in school she recognized as blueprints. With excitement evident in his voice he said, "This is my first project."_

_He unrolled the plans and laid them out for them to see. Her breath practically caught in her throat as her eyes scanned over the drawing. It was just a small structure Reggie explained, saying that it was a design for an insurance office in New Jersey. He said that he needed to prove himself on a smaller scale before he would get to work the skyscrapers that lined the New York City skyline but it was just exciting that they trusted him enough to have his own clients. _

_She idly listened as he explained technical facts to Marcus. She was too engrossed in the realization that her son possessed true artistic talent. What the building lacked in large scale was more than made up for by design. After years of having Reggie explain architectural design she recognized so many minute details she would have looked over if he hadn't pointed them out to her. The awning over the main entrance, the molding around the windows, the roof lined in precision with the surrounding landscape, all of it was there and they were all the results of he son's creative imagination. It was truly the most beautiful mid-level insurance building she had ever seen. _

"_So what do you think mom?" Reggie asked, placing his arm loosely over her shoulder. "You're pretty quiet? Do you not like it?" _

"_No, I love it," she replied softly, smiling up at her boy. "You are very talented." _

"_Aw, you're just saying that because it's true," he teased in his usual cocky way. "Just wait until I get to start designing the big buildings. Watch out! Because I'm going to make Rockefeller Center look like a mini-mall." _


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

XoXoXoX

Martin unlocked the front door and carefully walked into the living room carrying a big bouquet of pink roses and a box of chocolates from Max Brenner's; hopeful that they would act as a talisman against his wife's wrath. He closed the door behind him and yelled out, "I'm home. Anybody here?"

He heard the unmistakable footfall of itty-bitty feet and saw Gracie, Nate and a slow but eager, Milo, rush out of the kitchen. Just before the kitchen door closed he saw Frances standing at the stove stirring something in a pot.

"Hi daddy!" Gracie and Nate greeted him.

"Hey guys," he replied, happily smiling down at his brood.

His daughter pointed to the flowers and asked, "Are those for mommy?"

"You're in trouble," Nate announced with a laugh.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, running his hand over Milo's boney back. He kneeled down and looked at his children. "So, is mommy still grumpy at me?"

Gracie tapped her index finger on her chin, considering. "Not too much but she said that you were going to be in the dog house for awhile."

"She said that, huh?" He released a heavy sigh and rubbed his chin, the five o'clock shadow scratching against his fingertips.

Both children nodded as Grace replied, "Yeah, I remember because I asked her where the dog house was and why Milo doesn't have one."

He laughed and Nate, with big worried eyes, asked, "What did you do?"

"Daddy did something very silly," he replied, playfully poking his son in the belly. "But he is very sorry and he will do his best to make it up to mommy." He looked around the living room. "So where is she?"

"In your room," Grace answered, pointing down the hall.

He stared down the hall, the length of it never seeming longer in his life. He tried to decide if he should announce himself before entering so she had some warning or just walk in and take his chances. He took a deep breath and opted for an ambush. Sam had all day to prepare, his giving her a little warning wouldn't do much good. He winked at the kids and said, "Okay, wish me luck." He stood up and started walking down the hall to the bedroom.

"Good luck!" both kids shouted out at the top of their lungs; so much for a sneak attack.

He took a deep breath and exhaled as he opened up the bedroom door only to find it empty. He heard the sink running in the bathroom so he wandered over and stood in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom. Looking in, he saw Sam standing at the sink fully clothed and brushing her teeth.

"Hey," he greeted her meekly. She glanced at him, eyeing the proffered gifts in his hand. She raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Really? You can't be serious' and then turned back around, spitting into the sink. He suddenly wished he had thought to get her something more befitting the crime. Like jewelry or a new car.

"Hey," she replied before moving past him into the bedroom. "I have a PTA meeting tonight so I need for you to help Grace with her homework. It's on the kitchen counter. Frances said she would make dinner but I told her you would clean up and get the kids ready for bed so she could head home when she was done."

He recognized her passive aggressive attack. He loved to cook but he hated cleaning up afterwards so having to do the dishes after dinner was a minor punishment. Getting the kids ready for bed was nothing new so that wasn't part of his sentence. The real whammy was his having to help Grace with her homework. While the assignments were not difficult they had come to realize that their daughter was a type-A perfectionist. For most kindergarteners writing their name took a little bit of time but to Grace, she would pore over her work – writing and rewriting each letter until it was just so. She always took three times longer than any other kid in her class. It was frustrating to sit still while she wrote out each letter, waiting to help her with her next task but it was also pretty adorable the way her little tongue would poke out of the corner of her mouth as she concentrated.

"Are we not talking about the thing?" he asked, watching Sam move around the room.

"Which thing would that be? Which thing do you want to talk about?" she asked as she stopped at the closet and started putting on her shoes. "The scandal about you fathering Kelly Grant's love child?" She grinned widely and sarcastically said, "Or your extra special partnership with Danny?" And as quickly as the smile crossed her lips it faded as she stared at him, wearing one shoe and holding the other in her hand and finished, "Or the fact that you completely ignored my multiple warnings about Kelly and saw her anyway?"

He gulped. "Can I pick just one?"

She shook her head, looking frustrated and irritated. "I can't have this discussion right now. I have to go talk to a bunch of mothers about school lunches and fundraisers." When she was done she walked over to the dresser and started putting on her earrings. "We can talk when I get home later."

He worked his tongue into his jaw, feeling both relieved and annoyed that his trial had been postponed. Unfortunately, this just meant that he still had another few hours of anxious to continue to gnaw at his gut. But he was wise enough to know to just shut up. "Okay, fine."

Ignoring him she just nodded and walked out the door. Over her shoulder she said, "I'll see you tonight."

Deflated, he sat down at the foot of the bed, still holding the flowers and chocolate. He tossed them onto the bed next to him and fell back onto the mattress when Sam walked back into the room. She moved straight towards him and picked up the box of chocolates. "No sense wasting perfectly good chocolate." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But just because I'm taking this it doesn't mean I forgive you yet or that I'm not mad anymore."

"No, of course not," he replied, knowing her well enough to recognize that he fact that she was taking them at all was a very good sign. He was certain that he was going to be forgiven sooner rather than later.

"I'll see you later," she replied, turning back around and walking to the door.

He had a reserved smile on his face as he stared up at the ceiling when he heard a pair of feet galloping down the hall. He sat up and looked over in the doorway to see Gracie rush in waving a sheet of paper. "Mommy said you had to help me with my homework."

He sat up and clapped his hands together. "Yes I do. What is it? Letters or numbers or colors?"

"I have to learn the new song," she declared, handing him the sheet of paper. "Mommy said she wanted me to sing the song over and over and over with you until I knew it just perfect."

"She did?" he asked, looking at the sheet of music. He had to stifle his groan when he saw the title of the song was "It's a Small World After All." He hated that song. It was the single most annoying song in the entire world, if not universe. "Of course she did."

"Uh-huh," Gracie said as she stood in front of him, bouncing up and down. "I know most of it, listen: It's a world of laughter, a world of tears. It's a world of hopes and a world of…of…"

"Fears," he provided. "And a world of fears."

"Right," she said, nodding her head. "Okay, let me start again. It's a world of laughter, a world of tears…"

"You can just pick up where you left off," he interrupted, his headache from earlier returning and pounding harder in his head.

"No," she replied with a fierce pout. He always thought when she made that face she looked just like Sam. "Mommy said every time I mess up I should start over."

He rubbed his temple and mumbled, "Of course she did."

He motioned for her to start again and listened as she sung the first lyric over and then over again and again. When Grace restarted the song for the fifth time he realized that Sam wasn't as ready to forgive him as he thought. In fact, judging by the fact that he was stuck having to listen to his daughter sing this irritating song over and over, she was probably angrier than he thought and that forgiveness wasn't as close as he had hoped.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

XoXoXoX

"Want another one?" Sam whispered to Emma, holding out the half-empty box of chocolates.

"Oh yeah," Emma replied from the seat next to her, eagerly grabbing another piece. They were sitting in the back row of the small classroom so they could chat among themselves while Leslie and the rest of the PTA committee droned on and on about activities they had planned for the remainder of the school year. Emma took a bite of her chocolate covered wafer and quietly said, "You have to give Martin points for at least having the decency to buy you the expensive chocolates."

"Trust me, it's going to take a lot more than chocolate this time," she replied as she held the box out further to where Andrea sat on the other side of Emma, offering her some more as well.

As Andrea plucked a piece of chocolate from the box she whispered, "Check it out, the Stepfords are eyeballing you guys again."

Sam and Emma looked over to see several of the preppy soccer moms sitting together huddled in conversation. She knew that they were relishing the drama surrounding Martin and Kelly, and now Martin and Danny. If there was one thing that women like them loved more then their posh lifestyle was seeing someone who challenged them at every turn having a very public scandal. While a large part of her wanted to walk over and smack the smirks off of their faces, her pride refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her get upset. She glanced at Emma who continued to stare them, looking defiant.

She felt bad that Emma and Danny were being sucked into the fray but she admitted it felt good to commiserate with someone who knew what she was going through; sort of. Because in her friend's case, it seemed that some good came out of it all.

XoX

_Samantha saw Emma and Andrea standing on the sidewalk just outside the school building. They were engaged in conversation and didn't even see her approach until she greeted them and they both turned around to face her._

"_Hello Samantha," Andrea replied with a small smile. _

"_Hey Sam," Emma said, sounding cheery but looking stressed. "How are you doing?"_

"_Judging by the way you look I'm doing better than you," she replied, reaching over and gently rubbing her shoulder. "Are you okay? You do know that this thing between Danny and Martin is completely ridiculous don't you?" _

_Emma laughed lightly. "I know, believe me I know how easily my husband gets himself into trouble but it isn't why I'm upset." She sighed heavily, kicking the cement step at the bottom of the stoop and said, "I asked my parents to move out of the house today." _

"_You did? Why? What happened?" Sam asked although she knew that this was ultimately good news for Danny. _

"_Actually it was because of the thing with the press," Emma replied softly. "I don't really want to rehash it right now but suffice it to say, my father completely overreacted, we got into an argument and I told him that it would be best if he and my mom moved out. So they did. They're staying at The Pierre now." _

"_Are you okay?" _

"_Yeah, I mean, I know it's really for the best. Danny was miserable. Having them live with us may have made things easy for the boys but it was difficult for him. But still, augh," she hunched her shoulders, trying to shake off the tension. "I can't help but regressing back to that little girl who hates disappointing or upsetting her parents." _

"_Well, I don't know how this is going to make you feel but I think you made the right choice," Samantha replied, pulling her friend into a comforting hug. _

"_I know, you're right," Emma replied with a smile. She stepped back and said, "Man, I wish I still had one of those cigarettes left."_

_Sam smiled and held up the box in her hand. "Would you settle for some chocolate?" _

XoX

When she caught some of the women looking over again she planted a big grin on her face and waved 'hello' at them They quickly stopped their gossiping and turned away, refocusing their attention on Leslie who was standing at the podium.

"Now, I want to readdress the school lunch menu," Leslie began, her well manicured hands gripping the sides of the podium as she smiled at the group of parents with her perfectly capped teeth. "I know we discussed this last year but I would like to once again comment on the benefits of a macrobiotic, all organic diet. Now, Joy Campbell crunched the numbers on the cost of switching the school cafeteria menu and it is a bit more expensive." Joy, who looked like a brunette version of Leslie, stood alongside the podium. "So I would like to propose that the PTA form a committee to put together a plan and meet with the school principal to discuss raising tuition to cover the differences."

There was some loud murmuring among the parents in attendance. Sam listened as Emma and Andrea moaned beside her. Not only was the tuition already astronomical but a majority of the parents didn't even endorse the diet plan that Leslie was proposing. Quite frankly she was more curious what the woman's obsession with food was.

Samantha, Emma and Andrea all shared a look as they each stood up. Emma cleared her throat and said, "We would like to voice our opinion."

"Of course you do," Leslie replied with an audible sigh. "The floor recognizes Mrs. Spade, Dr. Taylor and Mrs. Brown."

Samantha stared back at the woman and said, "I think the school lunches are already very well balanced."

"Mrs. Spade," Leslie began with a condescending look. "Currently a large portion of the school lunches consist of processed, high sodium and fatty foods. I think by altering the menu it would greatly benefit the children's long term health."

"I agree that we should endorse a healthier diet but I hardly think going macrobiotic is the best course of action," she retorted.

"I happen to disagree," Leslie replied with narrowed eyes. "I believe that a healthy diet leads to a healthy mind. Food is an essential ingredient for a long, vital life. I think by incorporating a better diet for our children we are showing them how much we love them and care for their wellbeing."

Sam hated her tone as she spoke. As if implying that just because she disagreed on the children's diet that she somehow didn't care about her kids.

Joy stepped up to the mic and in a sickeningly sweet voice said, "I also agree. I currently have my entire family on this diet and they love it, especially my husband. I think it's because he knows that I care about his health because I want him around for a long time." Her lips curved up into a wicked smile and she said, "It reminds me of an old adage that my mom used to share with me, maybe you've heard of it. 'The quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach?'"

Samantha knew that the woman was trying to goad her by referring to Martin and his supposed infidelity in a round about way. Refusing to take the bait she smiled back and quipped, "Really? I've always found the quickest way to a man's heart is with a .45 through the chest."

"Actually, I find a good scalpel and rib spreader to be equally effective," Emma added authoritatively as Andrea giggled.

"Well perhaps this explains the current predicament with your husbands," Leslie said icily. The room full of women began whispering amongst themselves.

Sam clenched her fist. Little Ms. Stepford picked the wrong day and time to challenge her. "Look, Leslie, I trust my husband and I know for a fact that the tabloids are getting it wrong. Both ridiculous versions," she finished, her eyes scanning the room challenging them to argue with her. "Not that you can't blame Kelly Grant for trying. My husband is smart, a great father, somewhat funny in his own weird way and he has an ass that you can bounce quarters off of." She turned back to look Leslie straight in the eye and finished, "Of course, you must know that judging by how often I catch you staring at it."

A visible blush appeared on Leslie's face.

One of the other moms stood up and with trepidation asked, "What about the thing with both of your husbands? That video they are showing?"

"It was from an old case when they were working undercover," Sam replied, folding her arms over her chest.

"My husband, Danny, has already called the men from the case and asked them to explain it to the press. That is was completely innocent," Emma announced. "It's going to be old news by tomorrow afternoon."

"But your husband does know Kelly Grant?" another woman asked.

Sam frowned. "Yeah, they used to date – years and years ago."

"Is there any chance he can get her to attend our next fundraiser?" someone asked. "Having a celebrity like her would definitely sell tickets."

"No!" both she and Emma shouted back, annoyed by their brazenness. Sam put her hands on her hips and said, "So unless any of you have more invasive questions about our personal lives can we please get back to the lunch issue?"

It was quiet for a beat and then there was a little bit of murmuring between the mothers before some of the other moms stood up and offered up some alternatives to Leslie's plan. Satisfied that the agenda was getting back on track, Sam, Emma and Andrea sat back down.

Andrea laughed softly and said, "There's never a dull moment with you guys."

Emma and Sam both laughed.

When she returned home later that night she found the house dark and quiet. She hung her jacket in the closet and went to check on the kids. Both Nate and Grace were sound asleep in their beds so she adjusted their covers and kissed them on the forehead before finally making her way to the master bedroom. She saw that the light was still on and she could Martin's voice talking to someone. She pushed open the door and saw him sitting on his side of the bed with his cell phone pressed up against his ear.

She closed the door and he looked over at her, his expression serious. "Yeah, I'll run it tomorrow," he replied before listening to whatever the caller was saying. She gave him a questioning look and he mouthed 'Viv' before returning to the conversation. She walked to the dresser and pulled out her pajamas, glancing at Martin as she changed.

"I'll do whatever I can. Try and get some rest. Goodnight." he hung up the phone, setting it on the nightstand.

"Is there some new lead on the case?" she asked as she pulled on her pajama pants.

"Sort of," he replied, rubbing his hand over the back of his head. "One of her students has been doing her own private investigating and has a list of some possible suspects of her own. Viv wants me to run the names to see if I can come up with anything."

Sam nodded and asked, "How's she doing?"

He shook his head. "Not very well. She said that Reggie was put on administrative leave from work because they're afraid of any scandal being associated with the architecture firm."

"That's awful," she replied as she pulled on a t-shirt. "How's he taking it?"

"He's taking it pretty hard," he replied as he sat back on the bed, his back pressed up against the headboard. He glanced at her and softly commented, "It isn't easy being accused of a crime you didn't commit much less getting punished for it as well." She gave him a look to indicate that she knew what he was hinting at as she tossed her clothes into the hamper. "Speaking of crime and punishment, having me help Grace with her homework was definitely a classic."

"You liked that?" she asked with a devilish grin.

"No but I think that was the point. I am going to have that damn song stuck in my head for days," he replied carefully. He rolled onto his side and looked at her. "So are you still really mad?"

She walked over to the bed and sat down on her side of the bed. "I'm not mad – at least not as mad. You can thank Danny for that." He released a soft chuckle and she managed a small smile before giving him a soft look and said, "And I know in the grand scheme of things, compared to the situation with Reggie and Kate it seems so silly but I'm still really hurt, Martin. I told you how I felt about her, about my concerns but you just disregarded my feelings and that's what hurts."

"I told you why I saw her," he replied carefully.

"But you still saw her," she said coolly. "And then you didn't even tell me about it right away." He opened his mouth to speak and she held up her hand to stop him. "I know, but then your mom died so we had to deal with that. But you saw Kelly around lunch time on Friday so you had a full twenty-four hours beforehand to tell me and you didn't."

"I wanted to wait, I didn't want to make you mad," he explained meekly. "And then after my mom died I forgot. That means something, too, right? She is so inconsequential that I just forgot."

"What I heard is that you knew that I would get mad by you seeing her but you did it anyway and then put off telling me. Which only made me that much madder when I found out with the rest of the country," she replied tugging on the cuff on her t-shirt. "Martin, I confided in you my fears about Kelly but you just shrugged them off. Like what I was feeling didn't matter because you knew better." She felt her face grow warm and the ache in her throat from wanting to cry from having this conversation. She held up her hand, pointed at him and said, "Which by the way, turns out I was exactly right."

He reached over and grabbed her outstretched accusing hand, holding it in his. "I'm sorry, Sam. I fucked up. I should have respected your feelings and just stayed away. I was an idiot." He caressed her hand with his thumb. "I'm so sorry and I wish I knew how to make it up to you. Do you want me to grovel?" He hopped up into a kneeling position and planted rapid kisses on her hand. "I'm so sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry. Please, please forgive me…"

"Don't be funny," she chastised, but making no effort to pull her hand away. "I'm really upset that you dismissed what I told you."

"I know," he replied, gripping her hand as he met her eyes. "I know and I feel terrible for making you feel this way. But you know what? You were absolutely one hundred percent right." His lips spread into a smile as he leaned closer and said, "This means that you can use this as an example of why I should always, always listen to you. Why I should never doubt your judgment again. And I won't, I promise."

"That's a total lie," she replied, intertwining her fingers with his. "You question my judgment on movies and tuna."

He laughed. "Well, you keeping changing the NetFlix queue to put your chick flicks on top and some of them have horrible plots and you keep buying the albacore tuna but I think the regular tastes better."

"See, it hasn't even been a minute and you are already questioning my judgment," she replied, playfully wrestling with his arm.

"Okay, so I only promise to not question your judgment about things that really matter to you," he said, yanking her arm and pulling her into his embrace.

"Fair enough," she said, relaxing against him; his t-shirt warm and soft against her cheek.

He rested his chin on her temple and whispered, "You know I love you more than anything and I am so sorry for hurting you."

"I know," she replied softly. "It's the only thing that kept me from inflicting bodily harm on you today."

"Good to know," he laughed. He ran his hand over her arm and gently asked, "Are we okay?"

She glanced at the picture of them on the nightstand. It was taking on weekend trip to Vermont during the fall to see the changing of the leaves. They had gotten lost twice on that trip but they were having so much fun together that it didn't matter. She bit the side of her lips, getting ready to ask something of Martin that made her feel insecure and silly for asking but she could never rest otherwise.

"I never want you to see her again. I know that sounds harsh but she does want you so I'd rather you just stay out of the range of temptation. You went fifteen years without seeing her so I don't think it's too much to ask." She turned to face him; her eyes focused on his and asked, "Can you do that?"

He stared back at her and said, "Done, no way will I see her again," he shook his head animatedly and finished, "If someone she knows goes missing, well then they can just stay missing."

She laughed. "That's a bit extreme but okay."

He pulled her tighter and with his lips against her temple asked, "So, can we kiss and make-up now?"

She shook her head and pulled back. "Nope, I want a little more groveling." She moved back on the bed and put her foot on his lap. "Let's start with a foot rub – a real one. If you do a good job I might rethink kissing and making up afterwards."

He stared down at her foot, considering before picking it up and saying, "I don't know, Sam, my foot rubs are so good that when I'm done you are going to want to do a lot more than just kiss"

She rested her head on the table as he worked his fingers over the pad of her foot and smiled as she replied, "I'll take my chances."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

XoXoXoX

Danny walked into his kitchen and found the boys all gathered around the kitchen table eating dinner. Mike and Eli happily slurping up their spaghetti that was piled high with meat sauce while Diego ate a small bowl of plain pasta. While it pained him to see his son's appetite so diminished he was happy to see him being able to eat anything at all.

"Hey guys," he greeted them. He was rewarded with two sloppy red-rimmed smiles and a small wave from Diego as he dangled a limp white noodle between his fingertips before taking a smile bite out of one end.

"Hola Mr. Taylor," Melanie said as she wiped the kitchen counter. She tossed the sponge into the sink and looked over at him. "Since you're home do you mind if I leave now? I know I told Dr. Taylor I would help get the boys ready for bed but my friend Anna got some tickets to a concert…" She gave him a big pleading smile along with wide puppy dog eyes.

"Yeah, sure, get out of here," he replied, taking off his jacket and placing it on the back of the stool.

"Thanks," she replied as she started out of the kitchen. "Let me just pack my stuff up."

He walked to the stove and opened the lid off the pot, inhaling the aromatic sauce. He reached over and grabbed a plate from the kitchen cabinet when a thought occurred to him. Holding the plate he looked over at the boys and asked, "Where are your grandparents?"

"They moved out," Mike replied, taking a sip of his milk.

"They moved out?" he asked, stunned. "Why?"

Diego shrugged. "Mom and them were arguing but Melanie made us go to our room so we couldn't hear."

"Oh, okay," he said, putting down his plate and picking up some napkins. He tossed them on the table and said, "Wipe your mouths boys. I'll be right back." He smiled at them as they wiped the smudges from their chins and cheeks before returning their attention to their meal. He walked out of the kitchen searching for Melanie to find out what was going on. She was standing in the living room stuffing her sweatshirt into her backpack. "Hey, the boys said that Richard and Marilyn moved out."

"Yeah, they left this afternoon," the young woman replied, looking at him curiously as she zipped up her bag. "Didn't Dr. Taylor tell you?"

"We've been playing phone tag," he replied, feeling exhilarated and concerned about this change of events. He glanced at his watch and saw that she was most likely in the middle of the PTA meeting. He looked over at Melanie and asked, "Do you know what happened?"

Melanie gave him an uneasy look. "I don't know…"

"Just tell me," he interrupted, motioning for her to continue.

She sat back on the chair, resting her backpack on her lap. She gave him a nervous look and began, "It was because of you and that thing about Mr. Fitzgerald and the movie star…"

XoX

_Melanie stood at the dining room table folding some towels while Mike and Diego sat at the table playing Jenga. In the living room area, Richard sat in the lazy boy while Emma and Marilyn were on the sofa. Emma's eyes were intent on the TV screen as she flipped through the channels. _

"_What are you doing Emma?" Richard asked, lowering his newspaper. He released a frustrated sigh. "Just pick one channel and stick with it."_

_She smiled and just shook her head at him. "Danny said he might be on the news. I want to see it." _

"_Did dad solve a big case?" Mike asked from where he sat. He was holding one of the thin long pieces of wood in his hands, tapping it on the table. _

_She turned around from where she sat and looked over at him. "No, he said he was helping uncle Marty with something." _

"_There he is!" Diego said, pointing to the TV screen. _

_All of their eyes focused on the entertainment news show, smiles on their faces at the sight of Danny being interviewed by multiple reporters. He had his cocky grin on his face as he said, "Yes, I am his partner, for lack of a better word." _

_Emma and Melanie both laughed right away while Richard looked visibly perturbed. Mike walked over to the back of the sofa, leaning over Emma's shoulder and asked, "What's so funny?" _

_Still chuckling, Emma reached over and affectionately mussed Mike's hair. "It's only funny to grown ups, honey." _

"_But…" Mike began when Richard tossed his paper on the coffee table. _

"_How can you act so casual about this, Emma? Your husband just humiliated this entire family in front of the entire world!" He stood up and angrily turned off the TV. _

"_Dad, calm down. No one really takes this seriously," she replied, sounding perplexed by his behavior. _

_He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared back at her. "How can you be so flippant about this? Your obtuse husband has sullied our family's honor. I always knew that one day he would…" _

"_Watch it, dad," Emma warned. _

"_Watch what? Watch your husband continue to ruin your reputation? And what about my grandchildren? Should I just stand by and watch him publicly embarrass them?" he seethed. _

_Emma shot up to a standing position. "Don't you dare insinuate that Danny would ever do anything to hurt me or the boys."_

_Realizing that things were escalating, Melanie walked over and gently put her hands on Mike's shoulders, whispering, "Come on, why don't you and Diego go into your bedroom." She turned him around and motioned for Diego to join them as she quickly ushered them down the hall to the bedroom._

"_What's going on?" Diego asked, as they reached the bedroom. _

"_Your mama and abuelo need to talk in private," she replied as she opened their bedroom door and gently shoved them inside. "Play your video games until I come get you."_

_Mike eyed her and asked, "But I thought we weren't allowed to play videogames on a school night." _

"_Well, I am making an exception but if you don't want to," she replied. _

"_No! It's okay!" he quickly replied, dashing into his room and turning on the TV._

_She closed the door and decided to check on Eli who was down for his afternoon nap. As she walked down the hall to his room she could hear Emma's and Richard's voices grow louder. _

"_He isn't worthy of you, Emma!" Richard shouted._

"_Stop it, dad! I love Danny and he is a great husband and an excellent father. And if you cannot accept him after all these years then you have no place staying in our home." _

"_Are you seriously asking me to leave?"_

"_I'm not asking," she replied coolly. "I'm telling you. I love you and mom but you need to move out. Today." _

_Melanie reached Eli's door when Emma suddenly appeared in the hallway looking flustered. Their eyes met. She took a deep breath and said, "Thank you for taking Diego and Mike out of there."_

"_No problem, Dr. Taylor," Melanie said gently. "Are you alright?"_

_Emma gave her a tight, polite smile and said, "I'm okay, thanks," before striding directly into her bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. _

_Melanie opened the door and stepped into the Eli's bedroom. As she started to shut the door she saw Richard and Marilyn walk down the hall to their room. _

_An hour later they moved out. _

XoX

"They said goodbye to the boys, told Dr. Taylor where they would be staying and then they left," Melanie finished. "After that she went to the hospital to attend the lecture."

Danny's hands were actually shaking as she told him what happened. While there was a part of him that was angry with Richard there was a bigger part of him that was suddenly engulfed in a wave of love for his wife. His heart was thumping with pride in his chest that she finally stood up to her father about him. And not only did she stand up to him but she kicked that son-of-a-bitch out because of the way he was talking about him. He smiled at Melanie and said, "Um, thanks for telling me."

She nodded her head and was quiet for a beat before thumbing her hand in the direction of the kitchen. "I'm just going to tell the boys goodnight."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, nodding and waving for her to go ahead. He had a smile on his face as he looked around the living room that felt so different to him, knowing that Richard and Marilyn were officially gone before turning and walking back into the kitchen to have some dinner with his children.

A couple of hours later, when the boys were washed up, Eli put to bed while Diego and Mike were playing in their room he wandered back into the living room and sat down on the sofa. He reached for the remote and turned on the television in time to see a repeat performance of his press conference.

"I happen to think we're extra special," Danny saw himself say to the press for the umpteenth time. He had to admit, as much as he goofed up, he did look pretty good on television.

With a smile on his face he clicked off the TV and put the remote back down on the coffee table. He sat back on the sofa and listened to the blissful quiet of his living room - _his_ living room; the living room that was no longer occupied by, his father-in-law, Richard, and his Wall Street Journals or Marilyn and her knitting. He smiled broadly as he moved to lay down on his sofa, his legs so long that he had to prop his socked feet over the armrest.

He loved knowing that the only other souls in the house were his three sons. His in-laws now installed at a hotel across town. This was the first time in a long time that he felt happy and relaxed in his own house. If he had known that all it took to get rid of his father in law was to come out to the world he would have done it months ago.

Well, maybe that was a bit extreme.

He heard a key turn in the doorknob and looked over to see Emma walking in. He grinned at her and said, "Welcome home! What exciting initiatives has the glorious PTA decided on?"

She shook her head and smiled as she closed the door behind her. "We are well on our way to changing the world our children live in by adding more fruit to the school lunches." She placed the keys on the table by the door before walking over to the sofa. "And it's official that Sam, Andrea and I are the rebel moms."

"So you guys are bad mama jamas," he replied in his best Motown voice.

"Damn straight," she replied as she reached the sofa, motioning for him to scoot over so she could join him on the sofa. He moved over so she could scrunch in next to him, resting her chin on his chest so she could look into his eyes. She studied him for a beat and said, "So, judging by that smile on your face you are pleased that my parents moved out."

"I'm more pleased that you did it to defend my honor," he replied, reaching over and playing with some strands of her long hair. "But I know it must have been hard for you to do so thanks."

She ran her fingertip along his jaw line. "No, thank you. I know it was hard for you these last few months having my dad around. I should have said something to him a long time ago but I guess I just couldn't bring myself to really see it before."

"He's your dad," he replied softly, understanding that she was put in a tough spot but pleased that she finally put him above her father.

"Yeah, but you are my husband and the father of my children," she replied, sounding guilty. "I guess I'm just lucky that you have a lot of patience."

He grinned and knowingly replied, "That's true. You are very lucky to have me."

She laughed lightly as she slid up his chest and pressed her warm lips to his, her breath hot against him. He kissed her softly, her mouth tasting salty and warm against his. He ran his hands over his back, his hands feeling large against her small frame.

"I am lucky," she murmured between kisses, running her hand through his hair. "And I love you, Danny."

"I love you," he replied, enjoying the slow languid kisses and the feel of her warm, pliant body on top of his.

She moved her mouth and trailed soft warm kisses along his jaw and softly asked, "But do you love me as much as your extra special love for Martin?"

She started laughing, her body shaking on top of his with each laugh. He narrowed his eyes at her and replied, "Please don't make me choose. My heart loves equally."

She lifted her torso up and sounding offended said, "You are such a jerk!"

He laughed and hugged her tightly to him. "Baby, come on, there's enough of me to go around."

She laughed harder and pretended to try and wrestle out of his embrace when he decided to try and roll them over so he could get on top. Unfortunately he forgot that they were on the very narrow sofa so he rolled them right onto the floor, banging his elbow on the coffee table in the process.

"Aiyee!" he screamed as the pain reverberated through his elbow and up the bones in his arm. He had no idea why they insisted on calling it the funny bone when there wasn't anything funny about it.

"You okay?" Emma asked, sounding equally concerned and amused.

"What happened?" Diego asked as he and Mike came running down the hall. They looked over at him and Emma tangled up on the floor.

"I fell of the couch and hit my arm," he replied as Emma moved to stand and helped him up.

Mike eyed them suspiciously and asked, "How did you fall off the sofa?"

Emma looked at Danny to see how he would answer. He racked his brain trying to think of a logical reason to give his son before finally replying, "Your mom and I were kissing and we rolled off the sofa."

"EW!" both boys shouted at once. "We don't want to know that!"

They turned and walked back to their room still muttering about how gross it was when Emma laughed said, "If only they realized that the only reason they were here was because of our kissing."

He rubbed his arm and leaned in close to her as he whispered, "I'm feeling better so can we get back to that kissing?"

She eyed him as if considering before finally reaching over and touching his arm. "Sure, but I think we should do it in the bedroom. You haven't fallen out of the bed in awhile."

"Hey, I only fell out of bed once and it was your fault," he replied as they walked down the hall. "You were the one who shoved me."

"Danny, I was eight months pregnant with twins," she replied. "I needed more room to move around. Besides I only gave you a gentle shove to roll over, I didn't think you would go flying over the side."

He huffed. "Gentle shove? There are NFL fullbacks that use less force."

They reached the door and she playfully shoved him inside.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

XoXoXoX

Jack sat on the chair in his home office reading through Danny's report. He released a tired yawn and put the back of his hand up to his mouth. He felt really tired and knew he should go to bed but he couldn't quite bring himself to do it quite yet. He then brought his thumb and index finger under his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before removing his glasses and rubbing his tired eyes. When he opened them again he signed off on the report and tossed it on the coffee table. He stood up and stretched, tilting his head back and forth to get the kinks out.

He heard some footsteps in the hall and looked over to see Kate slowly shuffling down the hall wearing her now ubiquitous sweatpants and long sleeve shirt.

"Hey," he greeted her.

She stepped up and leaned against the doorjamb. "What are you still doing up?"

"I wanted to get caught up on some paperwork," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. "You?"

She gave him a polite smile. "I forgot how hard it is to share a room with Hanna," she jerked her head down the hall, "She still snores."

He laughed, remembering how he and Maria took Hanna to an ear, nose and throat doctor thinking there might be something medicinally wrong with her. The doctor examined her and explained that she just snores.

Kate hovered in the doorway and said, "I was just on my way to kitchen to get something to eat."

"If you're going for the leftovers I already beat you to it," he replied, waving his hand at the white takeout cartons on the coffee table. "You know what they say, you eat Chinese and you're hungry an hour later." He walked the table and picked up one of the containers, looking inside. "There's still some lo mein and spring rolls if you're interested."

She gave him a sheepish grin and walked in, taking the box from his hand and sitting down at one end of the sofa. Using his fork she twirled the noodles around but made no move to eat them. He watched her for a beat before grabbing another file off of his desk and sitting next to her. In silence, she ate and he read the report. Or at least, in silence she moved the food around and he pretended to read the file while actually watching her wondering what he could do to help her during this difficult time.

After he read a sentence he would steal a covert glance at Kate. He noticed that she was still dressing like a rape victim: loose, baggy clothes, no jewelry or make-up, hair tied back in a ponytail. It was as if she was trying really hard to not look the woman she was before. The end result was she looked like a woman who was feeling guilty for being attractive, as if it were her fault that her beauty made her a target. Seeing his once vital daughter looking like this slowly chipped away at his heart.

"Stop profiling me, dad," Kate said softly, her eyes still focused on the contents inside the take-out box as she continued poking her fork around the cold noodles.

"I'm not…" he began before she turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, I am. Sorry."

She smiled and put the uneaten food back on the table before standing up. She walked around his office, her arms pulled tightly around her as she studied the books on his shelf. She picked up a picture frame. It was a photo of Hanna, Kate, his father and him in the courtyard outside his father's nursing home. The girls had come to New York for a visit and he knew that his dad was slowly fading away, his memory lapses coming with more frequency. He wanted his daughters to see their grandfather one more time before he now longer knew who they were.

XoX

"_What are they doing in there?" Frank asked, his eyes following Hanna and Kate as they moved around his kitchen. _

"_They're making sandwiches," Jack replied, placing his hand on his father's shoulder, hoping to put him at ease. "They wanted to make you lunch."_

_Without breaking his gaze he asked, "Are you sure they aren't going to burn down the house?" _

_Jack considered the question. It was equally sad and amusing. "They aren't using the stove to make turkey sandwiches." _

_Frank rocked back in his chair nervously, still watching as Kate spread mayonnaise on the bread while Hanna carefully layered the turkey and lettuce. "I don't know, Jack. Your little friends better not make a mess in the kitchen. It will make your mother very upset to come home and have to clean up a mess."_

_He considered correcting his father, reminding him that his "little friends" were actually his grandchildren and that his wife had been dead for over thirty years, but he was afraid it would just upset him and he would make a scene, scaring Hanna and Kate. So, in his most thoughtful and obedient voice he said, "I'll clean it up before she gets home. I promise."_

"_You better," Frank replied, rocking his chair slightly faster, looking agitated. _

"_I'll go help them," he said as he stood up and walked into the kitchen. He observed the girls' progress and asked, "How are you gals doing in here?"_

"_We're almost done," Hanna replied as she put the top slice on all of the sandwiches. "I just have to cut them in half."_

"_I want to cut them," Kate whined. _

"_No, you're too little," Hanna said with her big sister authority. Kate eyed with envy as Hanna cut the first sandwich perfectly in half. Even in sandwich assembly, she had an artistic eye. She looked over at him and said, "Dad, can you get the potato chips and put them on the plates?" _

"_Yes ma'am," he replied as he grabbed chips off of the counter. _

"_Wait!" Kate declared, snagging the bag from his hands. "I want to do it. I like the sound the bag makes when you first open it."_

"_Don't let her do it, dad," Hanna ordered, turning around to look at them. "She makes the bag pop and usually ends up crushing most of the chips."_

_He looked over at both his girls. Hanna gave him a warning look while Kate stared up at him with wide puppy dog eyes. He gave his older daughter a reassuring smile as he handed the bag to Kate and said, "We'll take out chances."_

_Kate eagerly grabbed the bag and slapped both sides of the bag with her hands. The bag burst open with a loud 'pop' and suddenly Frank jumped up, looking startled. _

"_Dad, it's okay," Jack said soothingly as he walked over to his father, mentally cursing himself for forgetting that a loud noise might startle him. As he neared he saw his father's face morph from confusion to joy as he laughed._

"_She's just like you when you were a kid," Frank said, waving over to where Kate stood, piling chips onto the plates. "You used to love making loud noises. We couldn't even buy you a balloon at carnivals because the first thing you would do is try and pop it." He laughed as he finished, "You would get so mad if the balloon wasn't inflated enough and it wouldn't pop right away."_

"_I don't remember that," Jack replied, taken aback by his father's recollection. _

"_I do," Frank replied as he looked over at Jack with bright, clear lucid eyes. "I was the one who had to pay for them only to have you pop it five seconds later." _

_The two men smiled at each other, sharing the moment. _

XoX

"It's weird," Kate whispered softly.

"What?" he asked, his eyes watching her carefully as he shifted gears from the past to the present.

"When I was a kid I thought that day visiting grandpa was really sad. He kept confusing me with Hanna or say that we were your friends from the neighborhood when you were a little boy and would get angry when we would correct him," Kate mused as she ran a finger over the glass. "I felt sorry for him, that he couldn't remember anything but now, I sort of envy him for that." She put the frame back on the shelf and looked over at him. "I mean, I wouldn't want Alzheimer's but it would be nice to forget some things ever happened."

"I see your point but what if you also forgot the good stuff, too?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. "I would love to forget a lot of things but I'd hate to look at you and not remember who you are. I never want to forget that victorious smile on your face when you first learned to ride a bike; how proud you were when you got your first article published in your high school newspaper. I would never want to look at your beautiful face and not know that you are my daughter."

She gave him a sad smile and nodded her head, glancing away, looking uncomfortable. She walked to the window and pulled the curtains aside so she could stare out into the city.

"You know what I can't stop thinking about? When I was getting ready for the party I changed my outfit twice." She kept her eyes focused outside but he could tell by her body posture that she was stiff and angry. "I resented having to go to that party. That I had to write up some ridiculous fluff piece about a bunch of dumb frat boys but I still cared how I looked." Her voice went low and she looked over at where he sat, as if trying to gauge his reaction. "I keep thinking that if I hadn't bothered to get so dressed up that maybe…maybe he wouldn't have picked me."

He stood up and walked over to her. "You can't think that way, you didn't do anything wrong," he replied with fierce conviction. "You can't blame yourself for something that isn't your fault."

"Then why do I keep rethinking what I did to draw him to me," she asked, her voice desperate and pleading as tears began streaming down her face. "Why do I keep retracing my steps wondering did I say something, did I walk a certain way or look at him in a way that he misunderstood…?"

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her as tightly as he could. "Stop it. It wasn't anything you did. The man that did this to you is sick and twisted and it's about what he thinks. He never considered what you did or thought. It was in his fucked up head."

She sobbed into his shoulder, shaking with emotion in his arms. He could feel tears of his own begin to well in his own eyes. He didn't know how long they were standing there when he felt her body go slack.

She took a small step back, wiping her eyes and nose as she said, "I hate this, I hate feeling so scared, so vulnerable," she looked at him with dark, lost eyes. "I just wish I could forget it. I want to feel safe and confident like I used to, be who I was before."

"You're still you, Kate," he replied, reaching out and pulling her into another embrace. "I wish I could take all your pain away. I'd gladly bear it for you if I could."

She sighed heavily and rested her head on his shoulder as they both stared out the window; their reflections in the windowpane. "You know what mom told me? She said, 'sweetheart, sometime in the future you are going to find that whatever does not kill you really does make you stronger.' Talk about a cliché."

He tilted his head so his chin was on top of her hair and whispered, "It may be a cliché but she's right you know."

Kate smiled. "Can I tell her that you actually said she's right about something?"

"No," he replied, affectionately rubbing her arm. "But believe it or not, Kate, you are too incredible a woman to not survive this and be stronger than you were before."

She didn't reply but just leaned against him and kept starting out the window.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

XoXoXoX

A slow steady drizzle was falling onto the city as Sam and Martin exited the restaurant. She wrapped her sapphire colored pashmina closer to her as Martin whispered for her to wait under the awning while he tried to get them a cab. She watched as he moved near the curb, holding the umbrella with one hand and hailing for a cab with the other. As cab after cab passed him by, loaded down with passengers also anxious to stay out of the rain, he would look over at her, give an exasperated and apologetic smile as if it were his fault that it was raining.

She smiled back at him, letting him know it was alright and she was fine and he would turn back around to try again. She knew that he was trying really hard to make tonight special and romantic. It was one of several gestures he had been doing to get in her good graces after the whole Kelly Grant debacle.

This evening he had arranged for Frances to stay with the kids while they enjoyed a nice, leisurely dinner at Le Cirque. He knew that every once in awhile she enjoyed getting dressed up and going to a fancy restaurant where she wouldn't have to worry about what sorts of foods the kids could eat or if there was a place for the kids to run around and play. Although, on rare nights out like tonight, her kids were quite helpful as she got ready for a night out.

XoX

"_Now?" Gracie asked. _

"_Not quite yet," Sam replied as she applied her lipstick. She glanced at Grace who was sitting on the bathroom counter, watching her as she put on her make-up. Her little girl loved being helpful in making her mom look good so tonight she was in charge of giving Sam one spritz of perfume. She had been holding the bottle of Vera Wang in her small hands since the very moment Sam told her what her responsibility would be and was growing tired of waiting until she could do her duty. _

"_Now?" the little girl asked again, sounding impatient as she watched Sam run her index finger under her bottom lip to straighten her lipstick line. _

"_Patience," she replied, studying her reflection in the mirror. "I'm almost done." _

"_Okay," Grace said as she lowered the bottle and turned her head so they could look at each other in the mirror. "You look beautiful, mommy." _

"_Really? Thank you," she asked and Grace nodded. She stepped back and looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a dark sapphire blue sleeveless cocktail dress that scooped down to her cleavage and the hem hit just above the knees. She had to admit, with her hair pinned up into a loose bun with soft, loose curls falling around her face she did look pretty good. She smiled over at Grace and said, "Okay, I'm ready, spritz me." _

_Grace held up the perfume bottle and sprayed a thick squirt into the air and Sam stepped through it, feeling as the wet drops misted over her. The little girl held it up again and asked, "More?" _

"_No, I think that was just perfect," she said with a smile. She took the bottle from her and gently said, "Let's go tell daddy I'm ready to go." _

_She capped the perfume and put it back on the shelf as Gracie rushed past her, into the bedroom shouting, "She's ready! She's ready!" _

_Sam picked up her clutch purse and pashmini from the bed and walked down the hall to the living room. Martin was sitting on the sofa, flanked by a kid on each side of him, whispering with Grace when she cleared her throat. He looked over at her and she gave him her most beatific grin. "So, how do I look?" _

_He stared at her, his eyes taking it in and she found herself grow aroused at seeing the man she has known for over a decade, who has seen her looking her best and her worst, whose children she bore and raised, stare back at her as if she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. It was at moments like this that she found herself literally giving thanks to the heavens above that she had him in her life. How many women could say that after years of marriage their husbands could still look at them like they were the sexiest woman they had ever seen? _

_He grinned at her and mumbled, "Wow." _

_Grace hopped up at down, practically climbing all over Martin as she declared, "Doesn't mommy look beautiful? I helped her!" _

_He stood up and walked over to Sam and kissed her softly. "You look amazing."_

_She looked at him in his dark charcoal gray suit and silk robin's egg blue tie that she bought him because it matched his eyes and replied, "You look pretty amazing yourself."_

_He smiled at her just as Frances emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray of popcorn and fruit juice boxes. She looked over at them and said, "You guys are still here? Get going already or your going to be late for your dinner reservation." _

"_We're going," he replied as he picked up his coat and keys while Sam wrapped her pashmini around her shoulders. _

"_Better take an umbrella," Frances said as she grabbed one from the closet and shoved it into Martin's hands. "Bill Evans at WABC said there was a chance of light showers and you don't want the missus to ruin her nice outfit." _

"_What about my outfit?" Martin asked, sounding bemusedly offended. _

"_What about it?" Frances quipped as she ushered them to the door. "Have a good time and don't you worry about the rug rats."_

"_Thanks," Sam replied before carefully crouching down in her dress to kiss Nate and Grace good night. "Be good for Frances."_

"_Don't forget to ca…tell us goodnight," Grace said with her eyes on Martin. _

"_You're going to be asleep by the time we get home," Sam replied as she pulled Nate into a hug. "But if you are awake, I will definitely stop by your room and give you both a big kiss goodnight." _

_Grace stared up at Martin and yanked at his jacket. "Don't forget, daddy." She held up her small hand and using her thumb and pinky mimicked the phone gesture by her ear as she mouthed, "Call me."_

"_I know," he said as he gently pushed her hand down. He glanced at Sam and thinking she wasn't watching mouthed, "I promise to call" while holding up his hand as if he were testifying in court. He was still smiling when he turned to look at Sam. She narrowed her eyes at him, knowing that they were up to something but decided to just let it go for now. "Ready?" he asked as he opened the door. _

_She glanced between the two of them before giving Nate a quick kiss and standing up. "Yeah, let's go." Once they were down the steps she intertwined her arm with his and said, "Fess up, what's going on."_

_Refusing to meet her gaze he replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about. We're just going out to a nice dinner."_

_She laughed and leaned against him as they walked down the sidewalk. "You're lying but considering Grace knows I am assuming it's going to be something good so I'm willing to just wait and see." _

_She looked at his profile and saw his lips twitch into a smile as he said, "I knew she was going to blow our cover. This is why James Bond never worked with a five-year old." _

"_Yeah, they aren't very good at keeping secrets for very long," she laughed and playfully tugged on his arm. "So does this make me a Bond girl?" _

"_No," he replied, moving his arm free so he could wrap it around her and murmured, "You, Sam Spade, are a Bond woman." _

XoX

She watched as he stared down the street, hand held high and thought to herself how much she loved that man. He could be annoying, he sometimes says asinine things or gets himself into ridiculous predicaments but his heart is always in the right place.

She considered just taking her chances and walking out in the rain to where he stood when a cab pulled up in front of him. He leaned forward and said something to the cab driver before opening the back door and waving her over. She quickly rushed to the cab as Martin shielded her with the umbrella, and slid into the backseat, scooting over so he could climb in after her.

He snapped the umbrella shut and closed the door just as the cab pulled into traffic. "I'm glad Frances forced me to bring this thing."

She nodded her head as she leaned back, resting her head on his shoulder. "So, where to now? A play? A movie?" She looked out the rain-streaked window and said, "I hope you weren't thinking of a carriage ride through the park."

He wrapped his arm around her, pressing his lips to her forehead as he whispered, "No, no and no. It's something much better."

"Can I have a hint?"

He tilted his head back and forth before finally replying, "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet."

"A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet," she repeated and he nodded his head. "Are we going to the botanical park?" He shook his head. "We're going to a floral shop? We're going to see the Rose Bowl?"

He laughed. "Just stop, you're going to love it, trust me."

She eyed him warily before raising her head and kissing him.

They were so busy making out the in the backseat of the cab that it before she knew they pulled to a stop in front of The Plaza Hotel. She looked over at Martin and asked, "Are you kidding me?"

He smiled at her as he leaned in for a quick kiss and tugged her hand. She had a big smile on her face as they walked through the lobby to the elevator. He told her that he had come by earlier in the day and checked them in, holding up the keycard that read, "The Rose Suite."

She snatched the card from his hand. "A rose by any other name…very clever Agent Fitzgerald."

"I try," he replied as they stepped into the elevator and ascended up the prolific hotel.

By the time they arrived to their suite, she found herself increasingly giddy by this unexpected surprise. The hotel room was elegantly decorated in classic style with a tea rose sofa, gold trimmed paintings, and a big king size bed with bright white linens. She pulled off her pashmini and laid it on the back of one of the chairs, glancing around.

"This place is amazing," she exclaimed as she walked around, taking it all in. On the table sat a bucket of chilled champagne and a small assortment of cheeses and fruits.

"I'm glad you like it," he replied, stepping up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist. He kissed her shoulder and replied, "So what do you say, I draw us a bath and we sip cold champagne while soaking in a hot tub?"

"That sounds amazing," she replied, leaning back against his chest.

He planted a quick kiss on her shoulder and stepped back, releasing her. "While I do that," he reached into his jacket pocket and handed her the cell phone, "you can call Gracie because if she will flip out if she doesn't get to talk to you tonight."

Sam dialed home while Martin disappeared into the bathroom. As the phone rang she heard the water running and imagined it filling up with hot bubbles. Suddenly Gracie picked up the phone and quickly asked, "Are you surprised mommy?"

She laughed. "I am one hundred percent completely surprised."

"I was so worried I was going to mess up and tell you," Gracie continued, sounding excited and proud. "I was busting!"

"Well you did a very good job. I had no idea," she lied. "Is your little brother still awake?"

"No, he fell asleep a long time ago," she replied, sounding exhausted herself.

"Well, you better get to bed, too. Its way past your bedtime," Sam said as she kicked off her heels and walked towards the bathroom. Listening as Grace went on to explain that Martin had given her the okay to stay up until they called. Once she said her goodnights she talked to Frances who said that he had also arranged for her to spend the night and not to expect them home until late tomorrow morning. She thanked Frances for giving up her Friday night for them and then hung up the phone as she entered the bathroom to find Martin already lounging in the tub, holding a champagne flute.

He smiled at her, waggled his eyebrows and deadpanned. "Alright, Sammy, get naked and get in here."

"Yes sir," she quipped as she pulled the straps on her dress and let the dress fall to the floor. As she reached to unclasp her bra Martin moved over and leaned over the edge of the tub, his eyes focused intently on her. She actually found herself blushing under his lustful gaze as she finished undressing.

Once she was nude she slowly padded over and Martin moved back, allowing her to step into the large tub. She submerged herself into warm, bubbly water, resting herself between Martin's legs and leaning back so she her back was pressed against Martin's sudsy slicked chest. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the hot water steaming up around her and murmured, "Its official: you are out of the doghouse."

He laughed and she felt it reverberate against her body. "I'm glad that you enjoyed your surprise." He put his flute down on the edge of the tub and moved his hands up her arms to her shoulders and slowly started massaging her back and neck.

"Oh man, you are good," she replied as her lips curved up into a smile.

He moved his mouth to her ear, his breath hot against her earlobe as he throatily replied, "You just noticed?"

This time it was her turn to laugh.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

XoXoXoX

"Tell us the story about when we were born," Mike asked from where he sat at the foot of the bed while Eli and Diego lay between Danny and Emma. Diego was awake but very tired while Eli was snoring softly, having fallen asleep about a half-hour ago.

"Again?" Danny asked as he playfully prodded Mike with his socked foot. "You guys have heard this story at least a hundred times."

"It's our favorite story," Diego breathed out.

He looked down at his son who was watching him with droopy eyes and a small smile. Tomorrow morning Diego was going to be checked into the hospital to begin the intense chemo regime before the bone marrow donation so Emma insisted that the entire family spend as much quality time together as possible. Tonight it meant all piling into bed together and just talking.

"Okay, mijo," he replied, gently running his fingers over Diego's small head. He looked over at Emma and asked, "So do you want to tell it or should I?"

"Mom has to go first remember," Mike ordered as he moved to lie down on his side, bunching his pillow under his head. "She always starts it."

"Of course I do," she replied, propping her own head on her hand. "I was the one who carried you both for nine months so it's only right that I begin the story."

"Eight and a half," Danny playfully corrected before being shot a dirty look by Emma. "What? They were early."

"Keep pushing me and I will hurt you just like I did that night," she retorted with a smirk.

He subconsciously balled both of his hands into a fist. "Right, sorry. Shutting up now."

"Thank you," Emma said before focusing her attention to the twins. "So, it was about two in the morning and I had been having contractions but they weren't very close yet so I decided to just let your dad sleep until I was certain that he needed to wake up so we could go to the hospital."

"Because you're a doctor and you know all about that stuff," Diego added, turning over to look at her.

"That's right," she said as she reached over and playfully tapped his nose with her index finger. "So I called Dr. Forburg once I knew it was time to go and then I tried to carefully wake your dad up..."

XoX

"_Danny, wake up," Emma whispered, running her fingers over his cheek When he didn't even stir she said his name again slightly louder. "Its time."_

_He rolled over, pulling the pillow over his head mumbling, "Too tired. Hit the snooze."_

"_Danny, wake up, I'm in labor," she said, moving her hand to brush her fingers against his cheek again when a contraction surged through her, stronger than any of the ones before causing her to slam her hand into his face as pain overtook her. _

"_What the hell!" he yelped as he bolted up, shoving her hand off his face. "What's going on?"_

_As the contraction passed she breathed out, "The babies are coming."_

_He went bug eyed as he stared at her and asked, "Now? The babies are coming now?"_

_She relaxed as her body settled back down and replied, "Yes."_

_He hopped out of bed as if she was going to start shooting babies out at this very second and proclaimed, "They can't come now. They are supposed to be born for two more weeks, maybe three. I haven't even set up the cribs yet."_

_She decided that he was clearly going crazy with panic so she calmly said, "It doesn't matter. I am in labor and they are ready to come out very soon." She held out her arms for him to help her stand up. _

_He quickly hustled around the bed, clad in his t-shirt and boxer shorts, and pulled her to a standing position. "Are you sure it's safe to stand?" He looked at her legs and asked, "What if they fall out or something?" _

_She shook her head, laughing at his ridiculous question. With one hand cradling her belly she slowly shuffled to the dresser. "The contractions aren't that close yet. We have time to get to the hospital." She pointed to a brown leather travel bag by the closet. "I already called Dr. Forburg and tell him to meet us at the hospital and you can get my bag and call for a cab while I get dressed." _

"_Bag and cab, I can do that," he replied before stopping. "No, calling a cab will take too long. I should just go hail one outside," he announced before rushing out of the room._

_She stopped, watching him hustle down the hall still wearing his boxer shorts and t-shirt and shouted down the hall. "Danny! Clothes!" _

_Seconds later he rushed back and said, "Yeah, of course, how stupid of me." Then he picked up her bag for the hospital and exited the room to go hail their cab. She stood there for a beat when he walked back into the room, dropped the bag on the bed and said, "Maybe I should put some clothes on first." _

"_Good idea," she replied as she opened the dresser and tossed one of his t-shirts over at him. _

XoX

"Your dad was a nervous mess," she said, shifting so Eli's arm wouldn't jab her in the ribs anymore. "But he managed to pull it together enough to get dressed and hail a cab."

"I wasn't a nervous mess," he argued as the boys chuckled. "I was just overly excited."

"Yeah, that's it," she said with a roll of the eyes and a light laugh.

He smiled at her before looking down at Diego and saying, "Anyway, so we arrived at the hospital and that's when you mom first injured me…"

XoX

_The cab pulled to a stop in front of the hospital and Danny quickly jumped out of the cab and ran around to the other side to help Emma out. Once she was out of the cab he started to reach into the backseat of the cab to get the bag when she slammed the door shut on his left hand._

"_Ow!" he shouted, yanking his now throbbing hand toward him. _

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to," Emma cried. "I didn't know you what you were doing. I thought…ow, ow, ow," she trailed off as another contraction pulsed through her. _

"_Breathe baby," Danny said as he looked into her eyes, breathing in time with her like they were taught in the Lamaze classes. Their eyes were focused on each other as they focused the breathing. Once the contraction subsided they started walking to the hospital entrance when the cab driver ran up to them and shoved the bag into his arms, wishing them good luck before returning to his cab. Danny and Emma hurried into the ER where several of the staff recognized Emma and rushed over to help. _

"_Hello Emma," James, one of the ER doctors greeted them. "So it's time is it?"_

_Emma lurched over as another contraction hit and snapped back, "No, I just love this place so much I thought I'd come visit at two in the morning!" _

"_Short temper, good sign you are nearing full labor," James quipped as he smiled over at Danny. One of the nurses hurried over with a wheelchair and he helped Emma sit down. Danny reached over to take the helm and winced when pain pulsed through two of his fingers. _

"_You okay?" James asked, glancing at Danny's now swollen hand. "What happened?"_

_Danny held it up and explained, "Emma accidentally slammed the car door on it." _

_James examined Danny's hand. "It looks like its just a sprain but you might want to have it checked out."_

"_Hello?! Woman having two babies here!" Emma growled between breaths. _

"_Right, sorry," Danny said as he started pushing the wheelchair with his one good hand. James helped him steer to the elevator so they could head up to the maternity ward. _

_As they walked, James leaned in and whispered, "Be sure you stay on her right side in the delivery room." When they reached the lift, he helped maneuver the wheelchair into the elevator and said, "Well, you're in good luck. It's a slow night up in maternity so you get first pick of the rooms and Dr. Forburg is already upstairs waiting for you." _

"_Oh that's good news, right babe," he said to Emma as soon as she seemed to relax. "And you wanted to make sure we got that room in the corner." _

"_I don't care where they put me as long as they have drugs," she grabbed the sleeve of James's white lab coat and ordered, "Call Dr. Forburg and tell him to have my epidural ready as soon as I get up there."_

"_You're going to be fine, Emma," James replied as he carefully extricated his coat from Emma's clenched fist and stepped out of the elevator. _

"_Thanks James," Danny said as wheeled Emma into the elevator and pressed the call button. _

_As the doors started to slide shut Emma leaned forward and shouted to James, "Drugs! Call him and tell him to have the drugs ready!" _

XoX

"But you always say drugs are bad," Mike said as he sat up again.

"You should never take bad drugs that are illegal. But when you have scorching red hot pain throbbing through you as your body prepares to push out two small human beings, its more than okay to take a little bit of medicine to make it less painful," Emma happily explained. "So, a little while later we were in the delivery room getting ready for the two of you to come into the world…"

XoX

"_Are you sure you gave me enough anesthesia or that you did it right?" Emma asked while panting breathlessly. "Because if this is less pain than normal I don't know why women keep having babies."_

"_You're doing a great job, Emma," Dr. Forburg said from where he sat between her propped up legs. "Your first son should be out in two more pushes." _

_Danny was standing to her right and wiped her brow with a damp cloth, kissing her forehead and murmuring words of encouragement. "Baby, you're doing an incredible job. Come on, just one more push." _

_She tilted her head so she could look into her eyes and nodded her head. She reached out and grabbed a hold of his right hand and gave it a firm squeeze. Actually, she gave it a bone crushing squeeze but he was pretty sure now was not the time to tell her it hurt. _

_In what felt somewhere between a millisecond and an eternity, Emma slumped back and Dr. Forburg held up a tiny, slime covered gooey purplish colored baby with a cone shaped head. Danny rushed over and stood next to the doctor, fully ready to cut his firstborn son's umbilical cord. He watched as the doctor clamped the cord and cleaned out his orifices. He waited with bated breath for his little boy to cry but he was really quiet. Apparently he wasn't the only one who noticed the newborns lethargy. _

"_Why isn't he crying?" Emma shakily asked as she grabbed Danny's arm. He shook his head but before he could ask, Dr. Forgurg carefully handed the baby to a team of nurses who rushed to baby Mike, shoving Danny around to the other side of Emma's bed as they carried the silent baby to a warming bed and started examining him. Her voice cracked again and with more urgency she asked, "What's going on?" _

_In a very calm voice, Dr. Forburg said, "Emma, we're taking good care of your little boy but right now I need you to focus on delivering your other son because he is already trying to make his way out." He looked over at Danny and said, "Help your wife." _

_He nodded as if on autopilot and reached over to take Emma's hand. It wasn't until she clasped it that he realized it was the sprained one. He winced, tears welling in his eyes as she squeezed it hard as she pushed that he actually felt it pop. Moments later an identical baby entered the world only this time as soon as Dr. Forburg suctioned the fluid out of Diego's mouth and nose he starting crying at the exact moment that Mike began crying. Their crying was almost in unison, as if they could not acknowledge the world until they were both there at the same time _

_All of the nurses, the doctor, Emma and Danny started laughing as the boys' cries softened to whimpers. This time Dr. Forburg clamped off Diego's cord and asked Danny if he wanted to cut the cord. Danny, feeling overwhelmed by the moment, cut the cord and watched as Dr. Forburg placed a wiggly and sticky and gooey Diego on top of Emma's chest. One of the other nurses carried a crying Mike over to Danny and he nervously accepted the fragile newborn and laid him next to his brother. _

_He tilted his head next to Emma, who had tears in her eyes as she said, "Hey little guys. I'm your mom and this is your dad." _

_She cradled the boys close to her and he kissed her softly, whispering, "I love you so much. You were amazing."_

_She laughed and cried at the same time. "Can you believe they're finally here."_

_He smiled and stared down at his sons, who even with their now reddish wrinkly skin were the most beautiful babies he had ever seen. "I thought I loved them when they were just in your belly but now, I don't even think love is strong enough a word." _

_She smiled at him, knowing exactly what he meant. _

XoX

"But you weren't only crying because you were happy were you?" Mike asked, already smiling because he knew the answer.

"Nope. I mean, I was crying because you and you're brother were both born but also because," he held up his left hand and finished, "Your mom broke my finger."

"It's not like I did it on purpose," Emma said, nuzzling Diego's head under her chin.

"Either way, now this finger is slightly more tilted than the other ones," he said as he wiggled his long healed finger.

She fixed her eyes on him and evenly said, "So I broke one finger – on accident. I pushed out two – two – six pound babies out of my body. So let's not challenge me on pain shall we? Because believe me, you got off light."

"You are one hundred percent right, so sorry," he replied. When she looked over at Mike he did the same and mouthed, 'it still hurt.'

Mike laughed and Emma looked back over at him but he pretended to have no idea why their son was laughing.

"But why were you crying mom?" Diego asked softly.

"I was just so happy to finally meet you guys," she replied, snuggling closer to him so she could look into his eyes. "Sometimes when you are that happy your emotions just short circuit and they all spill out at once."

He smiled and nodded before asking, "Did we look like how you thought we would?"

"No," she replied, holding his chin. "You were so much more beautiful than I ever could have imagined."

"Mom, boys can't be beautiful," Mike whined, tossing his pillow up in the air.

"Yes, they can," Danny said as he leaned up and snatched the pillow before Mike could catch it again. "I'm beautiful and you both get your good looks from me."

"Hey, they get some from me, too," Emma argued.

"Yes, they do," he replied as he leaned over the two boys between them and quickly bussed her on the lips. He pulled back and lay back down on his side.

"See, D, even when we were only a minute old we knew that we didn't like being without each other," Mike said encouragingly. "That's why you are going to be fine after this is all over. We still have a lot more to do and I can't do it alone."

Diego smiled at his twin and said, "Yup. And we still have some good pranks we haven't even had a chance to do yet."

"You do, do you?" Danny asked as used his long arms to tickle both boys. "Tell me what they are! Come one, confess now!"

The two boys started laughing and wrestled on top of him, knocking them all to the carpet and Danny knew he needed to enjoy this moment because after tomorrow morning they wouldn't be able to be like this for a very long time.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

XoXoXoX

_Two months later…_

XoXoXoX

"Ow! Damn it Daisy!" Sam screeched.

Martin, who was standing in the shower washing his hair, pulled the shower curtain back to see Sam shooing the small calico kitten off of her leg. The precocious baby cat continued to jump up, batting at the drawstrings on Sam's pajama pants. Months ago when Grace and Nate were in the car accident several months ago she had agreed to let their daughter have one of the kittens from Dixie's litter. Dixie was the stray she helped rescue and was now living with Frances. He knew that Sam had only agreed to adopting a kitten because she was feeling so guilty about not being in town at the time of the accident and regretted it as soon as she said it. They both thought that enough time had passed that maybe Gracie had forgotten but last month she announced that her kitten was fully weaned and ready to come home. So now they had a new addition to the house. And the little fur ball seemed to have decided that Sam was her favorite target.

He laughed and asked, "If she bugs you so much why do you keep letting her into our room?"

Sam picked up the wiggly kitten, holding it carefully to her chest. "If I don't let her in she just mews and then sticks her little paws underneath the door." She walked out of the bathroom and over her shoulder said, "I may think she is a horrible pain in the ass but I'm not cruel."

He might have believed that she really didn't like the cat if he didn't hear her cooing to the kitten and stroking her fur. As he watched her walk away he wondered if maybe Sam had actually decided that the cat was her favorite as well.

He finished up his shower, got dressed, and then casually strolled to the kitchen, buttoning the cuffs of his shirt, his tie hanging loosely around his collar. He pushed open the kitchen door and saw Sam sitting at the table reading the paper and sipping her coffee as the kids ate their cereal. She lowered the periodical when she saw him walk in and said, "Your dad called. His flight has been delayed so he won't be landing until three o'clock and he will take a taxi to the office."

"Yeah, he mentioned that he wanted to stop by and say hi to Van Doren and a few of his friends," he replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "Speaking of Van Doren, have you heard anything about Jack's hearing?"

She shook her head, standing up and walking past, handing him the sports section. "Everyone is tight lipped about it. I just hope they let him come back to work. He doesn't do well when he's not on the job." Martin nodded in agreement, sipping his coffee. She refilled her cup and continued, "And that new agent they assigned us is really green. It's almost easier to work with one less agent than having to train her on how to do everything."

Two weeks ago the new agent Jack had requested was finally assigned to the team. Her name was Nora Hewitt and she was all of twenty-six years old and gung-ho to catch the bad guys and serve justice. The problem was that her enthusiasm exceeded her actual law enforcement experience.

He leaned towards her and said, "Be nice to the new kid. It's not easy being the newbie, especially around you, Jack and Danny. It was intimidating to me all those years ago and you weren't nearly as good then as you are now."

She stopped pouring and looked over at him. "I think that is supposed to be a compliment but I'm not quite sure."

He laughed and quickly bussed her cheek, running his hand down her back. "Believe me, it's a compliment."

"Of course it is," she teased as she finished pouring.

He walked over to the table and sat down. He snapped open the paper to check the final scores of his favorite teams when he heard Grace's small voice.

"Dad?" she asked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

"Yeah?" he replied, his eyes still scanning the sports section.

She put her glass down and picked up her toast, nibbling on the crust. "Do you think it's going to be weird to have Grandpa here without Grandma?"

He lowered the paper and looked over at his daughter. "Yeah, I think it's going to be a little bit weird but it will be good to see him. He's a little bit lonely and it's up to us to help take care of him now that Grandma is gone."

She nodded her head in agreement and glanced over at Nate who was running his Matchbox car along the edge of the table. He looked over at Sam who was watching them carefully before focusing back on Grace who was thoughtfully chewing her toast. It seemed that since they announced that Victor was coming for a visit her questions about death were becoming more and more frequent and more and more random.

Thinking that was going to be the only question of the day, he started to stand when Grace asked. "When will you and mom die?"

He sat back down and leaned over towards her. "Not for a very, very long time."

Grace pursed her lips as if considering whether or not to believe him when Sam stepped over and kneeled down next to her so they were eye level. "Sweetie, are you worried that dad and I won't be here to take care of you?"

The little girl shrugged.

Sam reached over and brushed Grace's bangs away from her eyes and replied, "I don't expect to die for a long time. I expect to be here to take care of you and Nate as long as you need me, but if Daddy and me did die, there are lots of people to take care of you. There's Aunt Parker and Aunt Reese and Nana Diane."

Grace smiled and added, "What about Aunt Brigid, Uncle Danny and Aunt Emma, and Auntie Viv…?"

"Exactly," Martin said, pleased by how Sam was able to turn such a somber topic around. "Mom and I have to be around for a long time otherwise they would all be fighting to see who you would get to live with."

"I wanna live with Eli!" Nate shouted.

Martin smiled at his little boy. "Well, you're stuck with us but that's good to know."

"Yeah, good to know," Grace repeated with a nod before taking another bite of her toast.

Martin shared a look with Sam, satisfied that was the end of that, and stood up. "Okay." She grabbed her cup of coffee and started out of the kitchen. "I'm going to go finish getting dressed."

He lifted his cup up to her as a mock salute on parenting well done and she winked at him before exiting the kitchen. He watched as Grace and Nate discussed toy cars, casually sipping his coffee. He dropped the paper back down on the table and got up to make himself some toast. He stood at the counter waiting for the toast to pop up and glanced over at Milo who was lounging on his dog bed in the corner looking miserable as the kitten crawled all over him as if he were her second favorite toy. It made Martin sad to see his once hyper active dog looking so old and tired. The same dog that once darted across Central Park to chase a squirrel was now allowing a kitten to treat him like a giant rag doll.

He watched as Daisy sat up on her back legs and swatted at Milo's ear when the dog's head shot up and he growled at the kitten. Martin smiled as Daisy backed off and scampered off to play with Grace's shoelaces. The old dog looked over at him and their eyes met in silent victory.

He reached down and scratched the old dog behind the ears and whispered, "Good boy, show that cat whose boss."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

XoXoXoX

Jack still wasn't sure how it happened.

He still didn't know how he got to be here sitting outside Van Doren's office waiting for the outcome of his disciplinary hearing. He glanced over at Van Doren's administrative assistant who gave him a small smile before returning her focus to the computer monitor.

He took a deep breath, looking at the closed door again; he could hear her, Olcyzk and a few others from the committee talking but couldn't make out what they were saying. Behind the shiny wooden doors six members of the bureau were discussing his crime of having being charged with assault and battery of a civilian. So now he was waiting to find out if the federal government was going to cut him loose after almost thirty years of service because the cost of the lawsuit was too high and he was too old.

He took another breath and closed his eyes, wishing he could go back in time to that fateful day a few weeks ago…

XoX

_He was walking through Central Park on his way to work when he spotted a guy sneakily walking fifty feet behind a young woman carrying a backpack. The woman could sense she was being followed and would stop to look behind her but the man was too quick, and would duck behind a tree to hide. Jack knew the guy was up to no good and cut the man off in the path, knocking him to the ground. He had only meant to prevent the man from assaulting the woman but without warning, something in him was ignited and he found himself enraged by what the man was going to do and began punching him repeatedly. _

_He continued hitting the man, uttering incoherent obscenities that emanated from somewhere deep inside of him. "Son-of-a-bitch! Why did you do it?! You bastard, you hurt my daughter!" _

_Suddenly he felt a woman's hands on him, ineffectually trying to pull him off the young man, screaming, "Stop it! Stop hitting him!"_

_He heard the words but they didn't process right away so he shoved the woman off when he felt much stronger hands yank him off the man, pulling him to his feet. "Stop it! You need to cool off!"_

_He tried to push the man off of him, shouting, "I'm with the FBI!" _

_He was so intensified by his actions that it took a beat for him to process the scene before him. The woman he thought the man was following was kneeling down next to him, cradling his bloodied head in her hands. With tears in her eyes she looked up at Jack and angrily asked, "What the hell is your problem?!"_

"_He was following you," Jack replied, panting heavily, still being restrained by two college age boys who were obviously just out for a run in the park. "He was going to hurt you."_

"_No he wasn't," she shouted back through hot tears. "He's my boyfriend!"_

"_Then why was he hiding from you?" Jack demanded. _

_A look of confusion crossed the woman's face and she looked wonderingly at her boyfriend. For a split second Jack felt vindicated when the man started to sit up, using the palm of his hand to hold himself up. "I was trying to surprise her." He pointed further down the trail to a handsome cab that was clearly waiting for someone but now the horseman was standing up and staring at the scene Jack created. "I was going to give her a romantic surprise for her birthday." He sat upright and stared at Jack. "But now I am going to find a lawyer and sue your ass. This is assault. I'm going to sue you, the government, the city…" _

_His posture slackened, as the realization of his actions slowly started to sink in. He stared at everyone around him and dumbly said, "I was just trying to protect her..." _

XoX

He honestly thought he was helping, that he was doing the right thing but looking back he now knows that in the months since Kate's attack he had been seeing the man who hurt her in every man he saw on the street. He would look at each of their faces and wonder if he was the one who hurt his daughter, who violated his little girl irrevocably and permanently. And then he would get so angry at them but mostly at himself. Cursing why he couldn't tell by looking in their eyes if they were the one. To know beyond a shadow of a doubt that that person was the guilty one so he could hurt him, destroy him for what he took from Kate.

He released a heavy sigh and leaned forward, elbows propped up on his knees. He clenched and unclenched his fists, staring at the closed door.

As more and more time passed and Kate's attacker continued to remain elusive he felt more and more like a tiger on the hunt. And he had to admit that on the basest level it felt good to hit that man in the park when he thought he was protecting a woman. To feel like he was getting the vengeance that he desperately wanted.

It was hard for him to accept that during those few minutes when he totally lost control that it was actually the first time in a long time that he felt like he really had any. Kate was still living in the shell of the woman she used to be and Hanna was standoffish with him, spending most of her free time at the gallery or hanging out with her old friends. Elaine was the only anchor tethering him down but he found that he couldn't bring himself to confide in her about what happened. Instead he told her he felt really bad about what happened because he knew that was what she needed to hear. He was too afraid that if he said how good it felt to release his rage that she would look at him differently and he couldn't bear to see that image of himself reflected in her eyes.

"Jack?" He looked over and saw Paula standing in the doorway. "We're ready for you now."

He nodded his head and stood up. With his shoulders squared and his head held high he followed her inside to face his fate.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

XoXoXoX

Sam sat at the table in the break room staring at the documents in front of her. She flipped the tab on her can of soda and took a drink, her eyes reading the name at the top of the employment records: Max Spade. She moved the can away from her lips as she began to mentally prepare herself for what she was about to read. After several false starts she finally gathered enough courage to officially begin the search for her father and finding out his employment history was the first big step. She couldn't bring herself to do it so she asked Martin to compile the documents for her. He gave her the folder yesterday but she delayed looking at it until she was emotionally ready to open, or rather reopen, this chapter of her life.

It didn't help that her sister, Bridget, was still urging her against it. Planting small seeds of doubt that despite her best efforts, Sam allowed to bloom. The last being when Bridget came up to New York for a weekend along with her husband, Will, and her daughter, Terri. Terri had a painting that was selected to be part of a national student exhibit so it was a great excuse for the sisters to get together.

XoX

_The afternoon of the opening reception the entire family went to the Met where a special gallery had been set aside for the show. Bridget, Terri and Sam made their way through the dense crowd to hunt out Terri's painting while Martin and Bridget's husband, Will, lingered back with Grace, Nate and Eli. Danny and Emma had their hands full dealing with Deigo and Mike's recovery after the bone marrow transplant so they offered to take Eli as much as possible. They were watching an interactive installation piece with a giant robotic gerbil running inside a big wheel that was enclosed in a cubicle. Sam doubted that the kids got the commentary on working America but just thought that it looked really funny. _

_They finally reached the painting and Bridget pulled Terri into a big hug. "I'm so proud of you." She looked over at Sam and gestured to the painting. "Can you believe my little girl made this? Is she an artist or what?"_

"_That is an amazing painting," Sam commented to her niece as they stood in front of a large canvas featuring a solitary figure standing in the rain amidst a dark city landscape filled with faceless urban dwellers. "Where did you get your inspiration?" _

"_Actually, it was you," Terri replied with a smile._

"_Really?" Sam asked thoughtfully, studying the painting. "Is this how you see me?"_

"_Yes, no, I mean," Terri stammered out before standing alongside Sam. At seventeen Terri was tall with long blonde hair and that natural fresh look of a young hopeful face. "I painted this last year. We were talking on the phone and you told me about a case you were working. You said that even after all these years of working in missing persons that you were still surprised how easily it was for someone to disappear in a busy city without anyone seeing anything." _

_A slow, proud smile crept onto Sam's lips. "Really? That inspired you."_

"_Oh yeah," Terri replied with an enthusiastic nod. "Literally, like the second you said that I got this mental image and eventually I was able to put it on a canvas."_

"_Come here," Sam said, pulling Terri into a hug and kissing her temple. "You have a great talent and I am so proud of you."_

"_Thanks," Terri replied before stepping back and looking at her mom. "I'm going to go get dad and tell him we found it." _

_Terri disappeared into the crowd in search of her father while she and Bridget lingered in front of the painting. Her older sister looked over her shoulder in the direction that Terri went and said, "She is such a daddy's girl." With her gaze on the painting Sam nodded in agreement even though she knew that Gracie was one, too. They stared at the painting for a beat when Bridget cleared her throat and asked, "Speaking of which…have you found him?" _

_Sam cast a quick glance at her sister before shifting her focus back to Terri's artwork. She knew who her sister meant by 'him,' she was not so subtly referring to their father. "No, not yet. I sort of put it on hold temporarily." _

"_I still don't know why you want to dredge up the past like this," Bridget said coolly. "You have a great family. A husband you love who adores you and the kids. Sure, he has torrid affairs with movie stars and gay men." _

_Sam shot her a look. "Very funny."_

_Bridget laughed softly before growing serious again. "I'm just saying that you have a full life, why would you want to bring Max into it?" _

_Sam gnawed on her lip as she considered her reply before turning to face her sister. "I don't expect him to welcome me with open arms or have some lovey dovey tearjerker moment." She shook her head, reluctant to have this conversation again, and dropped her hands uncertainly. "Hell, I don't even know if I will want to really see him when I find him. I just know that I have this void and I need to get closure one way or another on this part of my life."_

_Bridget gave her a soft look before looking off at something in the distance. Sam followed her gaze to find Martin walking towards them, alternately swinging Eli and Nate on each arm as Gracie skipped between Will and Terri. "Sometimes when I look at how Will is with Terri I wonder how differently my life would have been if dad had stuck around." As they neared, Bridget leaned in close and whispered, "But then I think that if he had stuck around I might not have the great life I have now." _

_Sam met her sister's eyes and breathed, "Me too." _

XoX

Deciding to confront her fears she put the can down and picked up the stack of papers and began to read. It seemed that Max fell out of the system for almost two years after he had left them. Sam surmised that he was most likely working odd jobs and being paid under the table; which would keep him off the government's radar. Not to mention her mother's; her mom had tried for years to try and track him down for alimony and child support but each time she could never track him down. After that he would work at various places such as bars, trucking companies, and maintenance firms. But all of those jobs had huge gaps between employment dates, ranging in at least thirteen different states, and judging by the latest report, his last tax return was over four years old. There was no indication that he had died so he was either unemployed or dodging having to pay his taxes.

And she did not like either one of those scenarios.

She scrolled through the locations and dates of employment wondering if she could establish any sort of pattern. He moved around from New Mexico to Oklahoma to Ohio to Nevada and to California. It was California that grabbed Sam's attention. She read the dates of his employment as a groundskeeper for a country club community in Palm Springs.

June of 2003 to March of 2004.

She picked up the IRS sheet as her pulse quickened. Her father was in Palm Springs when she and Martin flew out there for work to interview Lucas Vohland about Whitney Ridder. And not just that, but he worked as a groundskeeper at the very place where they had gone to interview some investors that Whitney Ridder had conned. She instinctively brought her hand up to her mouth as she absorbed that she had been so close to seeing her dad without even knowing it. Actually she might have even seen him while driving the golf cart across the grounds and just passed him by without so much as a second glance. Or maybe he was one of the men mowing the lawn the afternoon they checked out of their hotel…

XoX

"_Alright, we're all checked out," Sam announced to Martin as she exited their hotel. He let her wrap up the hotel charges while he sat on a bench in front of the hotel near the fountain, soaking in the warm California sun. "We just have to drop the car off at the airport and we are clear to head back home." _

_He frowned at her, his eyes shielded by his sunglasses. "Can we just sit for a few more minutes?" _

_She looked at him, adjusted the strap of her carry on suitcase. "Why?" _

"_Sam, it's a cold fall day back in New York but," he tilted his head back, waving his hand airily around and said, "here it's in the high eighties with a big blue sky and slow, cool breeze. I just want to enjoy it for a little bit longer." _

_She bit her lip, internally debating on whether or not to argue with him that she was ready to get going but calculated that if they left now they would get to the airport four hours early. She glanced around at the two men mowing the lawn and trimming the hedges as a gentle breeze passed through, fragrant with the smell of fresh cut glass. She had to admit, it would be much nicer to sit her for awhile longer than rush to the airport just to sit in those uncomfortable chairs waiting for their flight to begin boarding. _

_So she dropped her bag next to the bench and sat down. _

_They sat there in companionable silence and she had to admit it actually did feel nice. She had spent so much of her time since the shooting rushing to get better and get back to work that she forgot how good it felt to just take a minute to just sit and be still. The man riding the mower turned it off and started to change the bag as Sam watched. _

"_So it's not going well, huh?" Martin casually asked._

_She looked over at him. His eyes were closed and he was just basking in the sun. "What?"_

"_The therapy," he replied, still not looking at her. "When I asked you about it yesterday you changed the topic." _

_She turned away and closed her own eyes behind her shades. "Maybe I just didn't want to talk about it with you." _

"_Fair enough," he replied softly, leaning back and propping his arms on the back of the bench. "But I just want you to know that you can talk to me if you ever wanted to." _

_She turned to look at him. "Why do you care so much?" _

_He opened his eyes and faced her. "I was there when you were shot, too, Sam," he replied softly. "I know how close we came to losing you and it was…it was scary." He glanced away, his attention focused on a nearby palm tree. "I just want to make sure you are okay." _

_He turned back to look at her and she smiled at him. "Thanks." _

_Their eyes met and they shared a look of understanding. She suddenly felt self-conscious under his soft gaze so she quickly looked away and added, "Well, if you really want to know I happen to hate therapy."_

"_That's a shocker," he quipped and she laughed. _

XoX

With this new knowledge the memory was bittersweet. Her father may have been standing there and she never even knew. She released a heavy sigh, knowing there was no point at lamenting an opportunity long past. Instead she decided to take comfort in the sweet part of the memory. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Martin used to be so hesitant and shy around her. Now, after all they had been through and shared he had no qualms about cutting a fart in her presence. She laughed to herself and muttered, "The romance is gone."

"Did you say something to me?"

She looked over to see Nora standing at the vending machine. "No, sorry, I was just talking to myself." She started gathering her papers, worried that the new agent would see what she was reading.

"I do that all the time, too," Nora replied as she inserted her coins into the slot. She hit a button and said, "It annoys my boyfriend to no end." The can dropped to the dispenser and she reached down to grab it. "Any word about Jack?"

Sam righted the stack of papers. "Not yet."

Nora stepped closer, sipping her soda. Sam new that she was trying to make nice and endear herself to the team but this wasn't the right time. At least not for Sam.

Nora lingered in the middle of the room and nodded to the papers. "What are you working on? Do we have a new case?"

"No," Sam replied, stuffing all the papers into a manila folder. "No. I'm just wrapping up some unfinished business."

"Oh, okay," Nora replied with a smile, recognizing the signal ending the conversation. "I better do the same. I still have to finish my case report from last week."

Sam gave her a nod and a small smile as Nora exited the break room.

She looked down at the folder before picking them up, holding them close to her as she said to herself, "Yeah, just wrapping up some unfinished business."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

XoXoXoX

Danny walked out onto the balcony and pulled out his cell phone. The sky was a light gray color; a blanket of smog lay heavy in the sky. He pressed number one on his speed dial and waited while the line rang a few times before Emma finally answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey babe," Danny greeted her. It still surprised him sometimes how the light lilting tone of her voice could make him smile. "How are things today?"

She laughed. "Remember all those prayers we made on how much we wanted the boys to return to normal?"

"Yeah," he replied, resting his forearms on the balcony ledge.

"Well, it's official, God has answered our prayers because today Diego and Mike are up to their old pranks," Emma replied sounding equally amused and annoyed. "They got some of your old crime scene tape and cordoned off the lobby. Then they, along with Eli, proceeded to make outlines of their bodies with my bandage tape complete with ketchup as blood splatter. They nearly gave Mrs. Hellerman a stroke when she got home from her grocery shopping."

Danny laughed. "Eli was with them?"

"Yeah," she breathed into the phone. "That was a nice surprise. I think he's finally starting to come around."

After the bone marrow transplant, both boys were in and out of the hospital as part of their post-transplant check-ups and recovery so Eli spent a large chunk of that time with Martin and Samantha. Actually, he stayed at their house but spent most of his time with Nate. It seemed to go okay, he and Emma tried to check in with Eli everyday and would take him home when they could but between long days at the hospital and him still trying to work when he could Eli began to feel neglected and it resulted in him growing angry at them. When Diego finally came home, Eli was grumpy with his brothers and gave Emma the silent treatment for the first few days.

Even for a three year old he was surprisingly stubborn.

It took some coaxing but the great thing about little kids is that their memories aren't that long and with enough affection they eventually come around.

"That's good," he replied. For the first time in he didn't know how long he felt like he could finally catch his breath. That life was becoming more normal for the family again. As he listened to Emma talk about the conversation with their neighbor about the boy's joke his mind drifted off, remembering how very different life was for them just two months earlier…

XoX

_After the procedure he and Emma took turns staying with each boy, not wanting them to feel alone. Tonight he was holding vigil with Diego who was slowly regaining color in his cheeks. The transplant had thus far been successful. His body seemed to be accepting the marrow completely; there were no signs of rejection. Mike had a close scare after the procedure when he got an infection but after a rough twenty-four hours and a heavy course of antibiotics, his fever broke and he was on the mend. _

_He sat by Diego's bed wearing the sterilized paper hospital gown, booties, cap, gloves and mask. He hated that he had to wear so much protective gear around his son when all he wanted was to hold his boy in his arms and give him comfort. But if by keeping a safe, germ-free barrier between him and his autoimmune comprised boy was necessary to keep his son alive it was completely worth it. Besides, Diego was in so much discomfort that even touching could sometimes be painful to him. _

_Danny saw the boy's eyes flicker so he leaned in close, his gaze fixed on his face. "Diego?"_

_The little boy's eyes opened and slowly focused until he recognized Danny's face. "Hi."_

"_Hi. How are you feeling?" he asked, carefully wrapping his hand around his son's small limp one. _

"_Fine," he replied wearily, his eyes droopy. "Is mom with Mike now?" _

"_Uh-huh." With his free hand he gently ran his thumb over his son's cheek. "He wanted me to give you a message."_

_Diego's eyes opened up and fixed on Danny. "Yeah?"_

"_Yeah." Danny leaned in close and in a clear, succinct tone like Mike insisted he used he said, "He said, and I quote, 'Charlie Tango. Status check on Operation Mater Splater. Advantageous location. Acquire assets? Please advise.'"_

_For the first time since Diego had been admitted to the hospital a genuine smile crossed his face. He swallowed and slowly replied, "Tell him…" he paused to take a breath, "tell him, 'Delta Tango. Go set go. Proceed with judicious caution. More instructions to follow.'" _

_Danny raised any eyebrow at his boy. "Is this something I need to worry about? Are you guys using me as some sort of unwitting accessory to a crime?" _

_He was rewarded with an even wider smile. "Dad, you are on a need to know basis." _

_He laughed. _

XoX

He heard Nora call his name and looked over to see the new agent watching him from the doorway. "Em, hold on." He put the cell on his shoulder and asked Nora, "Yeah?"

"Jack wants to talk to us all together," she shyly replied.

"I'll be right in," he replied. Nora nodded at him before closing the door. He moved the cell back to his ear. "Hey, babe, I have to go."

"Call me if you are going to be late."

"Alright," he replied, slowly walking to the door. "Tell the boys that I'll be home to deal with them later."

She laughed. "Babe, I hate to break it to you but they already know that when it comes to discipline mom is much scarier."

"Emma," he playfully whined. "Can you at least pretend to wear the pants in the family?"

"Is that you way of saying that you want to get me out of mine?" she purred into the receiver. "Because if that's the case than the pants are all yours."

He stopped short, the pants he was wearing growing tighter. "Is that an invitation for later on?"

"Maybe," she teased. "Now go to work and find your missing person. I love you. Bye."

She hung up before he had a chance to reply. With a grin on his face he dropped his cell into his pocket and exited the balcony.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: I am traveling so I will post when I login. Fair enough?

A/N 2: Anmodo, sorry this one was so short but it was a "transition" chapter. ;) I promise more good Danny stuff later.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

XoXoXoX

With the file folder held tightly in his hands Jack wandered into the bullpen to find his team all seated around the conference table. He felt his heart constrict at the sight of his team, the people who had become an extended family to him. With his shoulders squared and chin held defiantly high he strutted towards them and pulled out a chair to sit down. All of their eyes were watching him carefully.

Danny, ever the concerned one, asked, "What's up, Jack?"

He took a breath and looked around the table at Samantha, Paul, Nora and Danny and breathed out, "We," the word tasting bitter in his mouth, "have decided that it might be time for me to retire."

"Retirement? You?" Sam replied, an incredulous look on her face as if he had just announced that he was going to become a professional ballet dancer.

"I have been in the bureau long past the mandatory age limit for a field agent so it's time," Jack said, trying to sound as if part of the decision was his and not the strong recommendation of the review committee.

"What are you going to do?" Paul asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I have some friends who work in private security that have been hounding me to join." He managed a smile. "Or maybe I will just hang out in the park, feed the pigeons and yell at all the kids on skateboards."

The team laughed but he could tell it was more out of obligation than actual amusement.

"When?" Nora asked, glancing around at the team. She was still so new that he understood her concern stemmed more from how it would affect her status than actual concern for him.

"Next month so that we have enough opportunity to find a replacement," he said, shifting his seat so he could look directly at Sam and Danny. "So if either of you want to throw your hat in the ring just let me know."

Danny and Sam exchanged curious evaluating looks but neither one said anything. He knew that they were close and probably wanted to discuss it in private first before any public declarations. Not wanting to dwell much longer he quickly bucked up and changed the subject. "But in the meantime we still have to work."

He opened up the file and pulled out a photo, holding it up. "Meet Louis Baird. He was reported missing by his niece. She said he normally calls her everyday but she hadn't heard from him in two days." He handed the photo to Samantha who gave him a quick sympathetic look as she accepted the photo. "He lives on his boat at Liberty Marina. I want you and Nora to go check it out."

"Sure thing," she replied. She nodded over at Nora and the two women stood up and exited.

He looked at Danny and Paul. "The niece is on her way here but in the meantime I want you guys to start pulling his financials, etc. You know the drill."

"I'm on it," Paul replied, standing up and walking over to his desk.

Once Paul was out of earshot, Danny looked over at him. "Jack, do you really have to retire? There have to be other things you can do in the bureau…"

Jack held up his hand, stopping Danny mid-sentence. "I appreciate your concern and Van Doren did present some options but you know as well as I do that I wouldn't want to be a bureaucrat in the FBI."

Danny nodded grimly. "Yeah, I know." He stood up and started to move past him, stopping to pat him on the back. "I just hate to see you go. The place won't be the same without you."

"Thanks," he said, forcing a smile to cross his lips. "Now, get to work. I am still your boss for a little while longer."

"Yes sir," Danny replied with a mock salute before walking to his desk.

Jack glanced around at the desks, watching Paul talk on the phone and Danny typing on his computer and released a heavy sigh. He honestly didn't know how he could possibly walk away from the job.

XoX

"_We'll start the search for your replacement next week," Olyzck announced as he picked up the folders. "Just get your official letter to us by next Monday."_

_Jack nodded, biting the inside of his cheek. _

_As he walked to the door he stopped and gave Jack a small smile. "You've served the bureau well, Jack. You should leave here knowing that." _

_Jack couldn't bring himself to reply so he just nodded as Olzyck and the other members of the review committee slowly shuffled their way out of the conference room leaving him sitting alone with AD Paula Van Doren. _

_Paula sighed audibly as she swiveled in her chair to look at him directly. "Are you sure that you don't want to look into a desk position here? We could still really use your experience in the advisory capacity."_

"_You know as well as I do that I hate doing paperwork," he joked. "The only reason I do it now is that it keeps me in the field. If I don't have that there's no point in my sticking around."_

_She nodded knowingly. "I'm really sorry about this, Jack. This shouldn't be the way you exit the bureau." _

"_Come on, we both knew I was always an inch away from being tossed out on my ass," he teased, trying to bring levity to the situation. He wasn't sure if it was for her benefit or his. "At least this way I still get my pension, right?" _

_She looked back at him evenly. "Believe it or not, I am going to miss you. You certainly kept me on my toes."_

_He laughed lightly. "I did my best." _

XoX

His cell phone rang in his pocket and he pulled it out. "Malone."

"Hey," Elaine greeted. Her voice a soothing balm on his otherwise charred emotions. "How did it go?"

He turned on his heels, walking into the hallway towards his office. "How much do you love me?"

"Tons and tons." There was a smile evident in her voice.

"Good," he replied, pushing open his office door and walking inside. "Because you are going to be seeing tons and tons more of me."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

XoXoXoX

Viv sipped her cup of tea as she stared out of her office window. She didn't have much of a view. Her office was directly across from the building next door so the only thing she could gaze upon was the small shaft of sunlight that streamed down from the sky above and the window of another faculty office across the alley. She didn't know the name of the professor who occupied that office but after several years of staring into his window she did know that he ate a peanut butter sandwich and apple for lunch everyday, had office hours in the late afternoon, drank copious amounts of diet soda, and was a nose picker.

However, on this particular day his office was dark and unoccupied.

She shifted her gaze to the patch of sunlight that managed to make its way through her window to the small table in her office. On the tabletop sat one of her three bonsai trees. The other two were in her bedroom at home. They were her secret passion, a hobby she started cultivating during her recovery from the heart transplant. She found it soothing to trim the small trees limbs, monitor its watering and misting, and whether or not it was receiving enough sunlight. It relaxed her to focus intently on something other than her health and other life stresses. And lately she had been putting a lot of focus on her trees.

XoX

_She sat on the small stool at the table in her bedroom grooming her bonsais. She pressed the pad of her finger on the top of the soil, testing its moisture level. It felt a little dry so she decided to give it a bit of water, making certain it was just enough so that it would drain properly and not leave the wretched "wet feet" that killed bonsai trees. She picked up the water pitcher and leaned in close to her tree, carefully watering the soil. _

"_You pay more attention to those trees than you do me," Marcus teased as he walked into the bedroom. He sat on the chair in the corner and started removing his shoes. _

"_I assume you know when you need water and sunlight," she replied without even bothering to look up at him. Satisfied that it had been adequately watered she decided that they needed a trim as well. She glanced around for her trimmers and noticed that she had left them on the dresser. She stood up to retrieve them and immediately felt dizzy. She swayed a bit and stumbled backwards. She felt the back of her knees hit the bed and she sat down. _

"_Babe? Babe, you alright?" Marcus asked, rushing towards her. _

"_I'm okay," she breathed. "I think I just stood up too fast."_

"_Are you sure? Maybe I should call Dr. Allen." He started his own version of an examination. Checking her eyes and pulse, pressing the palm of his hand on her forehead to see if she had a fever. _

"_I'm fine," she lied. The truth was ever since the accusations began against Reggie she hadn't been feeling very well. She knew that her health had been suffering due to the stress but she worried that if she told Marcus about it he would force her to stop the investigation into the rapes. And right now, that was the only thing that gave her any hope of giving her son his life back. As it was he had been forced to sublet his apartment and move back home because he wasn't working at his firm anymore; his temporary leave was now permanent. He had several interviews at other architecture firms but the rumors always seemed to precede him. _

_No, she needed to stay strong and continue to work unobstructed to try and help get her son his life back. _

_As soon as her breathing steadied out she said, "I'm really fine, don't worry."_

_He ran his eyes over her face, not quite believing her. "You're really okay?" _

_She smiled at him and gave him a kiss, running her hand over his cheek. "Really." _

_She slowly stood up and picked up her trimmers. She moved back over to her table and began snipping off a few pieces of leaves that dared grow disproportionately. She could feel Marcus' eyes on her but she refused to meet his gaze. Too afraid that if she did he would look into her eyes and know the truth. _

XoX

She polished off her tea and set the mug down. She checked her watch. It was almost noon; which meant that Randi was an hour late for their meeting. This wasn't like her. She was always punctual, almost obsessively so. Her not showing up and not calling caused a nervous feeling to spin in Viv's gut. She picked up her phone and tried Randi's cell number again.

"Hi, you've reached Randi. Leave me a message at the beep. Ciao!"

"Hi Randi. It's Vivian again. I know I've already left you several messages but I'm really starting to get worried. Please call me back as soon as you get this so I know that you are alright."

She put the phone back on the cradle and stared at it uneasily. She and Randi had been meeting at this time almost every day for the last month to review notes and share ideas on the campus rapes. In the months since Kate's rape there were no other reported attacks on this campus or any others so they knew that the publicity surrounding Kate's rape might have scared the rapist into hiding. But Viv knew that the compulsion to hurt women could not be suppressed forever. He was escalating at the time of Kate's attack and to suddenly stop would just cause his urges to build and build until they reached an explosive point.

She started pulling out drawers, searching for the slip of paper that Randi had given her a few months ago. She fished out the yellow sticky note. Written in Randi's precise upper case print were her cell phone and home numbers. She had never called the home number before. Randi was always on the go and insisted that the best way to reach her was the cell and up until now she had always answered her mobile number and never missed a single appointment.

The home phone rang just once when a young woman that was not Randi answered. "Hello?"

It did not escape Viv's attention that the woman's tone was nervous. "Hello, my name is Vivian Johnson. I'm a professor at NYU…"

"I know who you are," the woman replied anxiously. "Randi told me all about helping with your son's case. I'm Angie, her roommate. Have you talked to her?"

"No, actually that is why I was calling," she replied. "She was supposed to meet me at eleven but didn't show up."

"Damn, I was hoping she was with you." Angie sighed audibly. "She didn't come home last night and I can't reach her on her cell." Viv tried to suppress the pang in her gut. "This isn't like her. She always comes home or at least calls and lets me know if she is working late at the library. I'm really worried."

"When was the last time you talked to her?"

"Last night," the young woman replied, sounding slightly more calm to have something to focus on. "She told me that she thought she found a new lead in your investigation and wanted to go to the library to check it out before seeing you today."

Viv's pulse quickened. "Did she say what that was?"

"No," she shakily replied. "She just said that it was huge and she needed to make sure that it checked out before telling you."

With her mind racing a mile a minute Viv said, "Angie, do me a favor and stay put. I'm on my way."

"Okay," she answered before they said goodbye and hung up.

Viv picked up her coat and purse, rushing to her door. She reached into her purse and dug out her cell phone. She knew that if she wanted to find Randi as soon as possible she wasn't going to be able to do it alone.

The phone rang twice when a familiar voice answered. "Fitzgerald."

"Hey Martin, it's Viv." She opened her office door and stepped outside. "I need your help."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

XoXoXoX

"Do you know what his last day will be?" Nora asked.

"I don't know, Nora. You heard exactly what I did when he told us," Samantha curtly replied, tightening her grip on the steering wheel.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Nora said softly, sounding wounded.

Sam might have felt badly for being harsh with the green agent but she was more relieved that maybe this would get Nora to shut up for a little while. She liked her but ever since they left the office she had been asking incessant questions about Jack's retirement. She wanted a little peace and quiet so she could think about it herself.

She was still stunned by his announcement. She couldn't imagine Jack not leading their team anymore. While her romantic feelings for him died long ago, she had worked for him so long she couldn't imagine working for anyone else. She had learned so much from him about how to be a good agent; and in some cases, how to come back after being a bad one. She also wasn't sure how he would survive not being on the job. His identity was so ingrained with being an agent that she didn't know how he would be able to separate that part of himself.

And while she was concerned for him as her friend, she had to admit that when he mentioned her or Danny taking over his SAC position a spark of competition was ignited in her. She hated to see Jack go but if he were leaving she wouldn't mind being the one to take over leadership of the team. But she knew that before she officially threw her hat into the ring she would have to talk about it with Danny to see if he was going to pursue the position as well. They were great friends and it wouldn't be good if they both wanted the position. Only one would get it and the other one would be forced to work under the other. She still hadn't forgotten how awkward it was for Viv and Jack so many years ago.

And then there was the bigger matter of Martin and the kids. It would mean more time away from Grace and Nate. That was probably the biggest con in her book. They were both still so young and while they had Frances, who was great, it was still hard leaving them with someone else for such long periods of time. Yes, this was going to be a serious thing to consider.

But right now she had to concentrate on the case.

She pulled the car into the parking spot outside the marina gates and turned off the ignition. She and Nora exited the car and started walking to the entrance. A breeze blew through, causing her hair to whip around her face. She tucked some strands behind her ears to try and keep it out of her face.

"Those are nice earrings," Nora commented.

Sam brought her fingers up to her earlobe to try and remember which ones she put on this morning. She felt the small orb and remembered that she was wearing the pearl earrings. She dropped her hand and smiled at the junior agent who she knew was trying to get back in her good graces. "Thanks. They were a gift."

"Your husband?" Nora asked as she pulled open the gate and held it open for Sam.

"My mom," she replied as she stepped onto the pier and made her way to Louis Baird's slip. She waited for Nora to ask another question but judging by the quiet maybe she was done for now. She didn't want to be so snippy with the eager woman but she also wasn't open to sharing information with someone she hardly knew. Although the story behind the earrings always made her smile just to think about it.

XoX

"_I can't believe all the great loot you got," Bridget commented as she picked up one of Sam's bridal shower gifts. _

_The party ended a few hours ago and everyone had gone home or in the case of Martin's mom and sisters, back to their hotel. So, taking advantage of Martin making himself scarce, she invited her mom and sister to stay behind for some wine and gossip. _

_Diane picked up one of the many powder blue boxes, Tiffany's signature trademark. "Expensive ones, too." She set down the box and looked over at where Sam sat on the floor. "Martin's family sure has a lot of money to throw around."_

"_I guess." Sam reached over and picked up her glass of wine. "But I guarantee, I'm going to get a lot more use out of that negligee Bridget gave me than that gravy boat." _

_She and Bridget laughed while her mom rolled her eyes and said, "This is one of those times it would be just fine to keep some information about your relationship to yourself." _

"_Alright," Bridget said authoritatively, setting her wine glass down on the coffee table. She nudged her mom, who nodded at her, before they both set their gaze on Sam._

_Sam took another drink of her wine before setting her own glass down. "What?"_

_Diane reached down and took one of Sam's hands in hers. "Sweetheart," she began in a soft gentle tone that made her feel nervous, "you're getting married in a month so I am going to tell you what I told Bridget when she was getting married to Will."_

_Sam furrowed her brow, confused. "Okay."_

"_I have my credit card in my purse and if you have any doubts about marrying Martin I will buy me, you and your sister three plane tickets anywhere you want so we can just get out of town." Diane looked seriously at her and finished, "So say the word and we go. No judgment, no pressure. You just do what you really truly want to do. It's not too late to back out." _

_Sam might have been offended by her mother's proposition if she wasn't so sure of the good intentions behind it. That and she knew that her mom really liked Martin. So she laughed and moved her free hand on top of her mom's. "I really appreciate your offer but unfortunately, I have to decline. You know I love him and all so I think I'm going to go ahead and marry the guy." _

"_You sure?" Diane asked with a smile. _

"_Yup," she replied with a grin. _

"_Thank goodness," Bridget said, laughing. She reached under the sofa pillow and pulled out a small navy blue velvet box. "Mom lost the receipt and we had no idea how she was going to return these if you canceled the wedding." _

_Diane released her hands from Sam's and took the box from Bridget. "I didn't lose it. I just can't quite remember where I put it but I know its somewhere safe." She looked back at Sam and held out the box in the palm of her hand. "I wanted to get you something special for your wedding." Her eyes darted over to the stacks of gifts. "And while it certainly isn't as fancy as some of these other gifts you got…"_

_Sam snatched the box from her mom's hand. "Stop it. The fact that it comes from you increases its value ten fold." She flipped open the box to find a set of pearl earrings. She pulled one out and held it between her fingertips. "They're beautiful." _

_Diane leaned forward and gently moved Sam's hair away from her face. "Now, I don't know what jewelry you were planning for your wedding but I thought those might look nice with your hair scooped up. Elegant, you know?"_

_Sam put on one of the earrings. "I actually hadn't decided on my jewelry yet," she lied. She put on the other one and finished, "but I think these would be perfect." And that was the truth. _

_Her mom met her eyes. "You don't have to wear them just because of me. Not unless you really want to."_

_Sam knew her mom was once again giving her an out but she also knew it would mean the world to her if she wore them on one of the most important days in her life. "I love them and I am going to wear them." _

"_Okay, if you're sure." Her mom smiled broadly. _

_Sam held her hair up, modeling the earrings for her sister and mom. "How do they look?"_

"_You look lovely," Diane cooed. _

"_It really does look great, Sam," Bridget contributed before releasing a heavy sigh. "Although I can't help but say that I am a bit disappointed you don't want to run off. I was hoping for a mini-vacation in Puerto Rico."_

_Sam laughed. "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not canceling my wedding so you can get a tan."_

_Bridget giggled and grabbed a pillow off of the sofa, tossing it at Sam. "You're so selfish." _

XoX

Sam reached Louis' boat and shouted out his name just to be safe but when no one replied she stepped up and started to board.

"This is a pretty small yacht," Nora commented as she followed Sam onboard.

"It's not a yacht," Sam replied as she scanned the deck. "It's an Albemarle 280 Express Fisherman. A 2007 model if I'm not mistaken." She started below deck. "It's for offshore saltwater fishing trips."

"How do you know so much about boats?"

Sam looked around the small galley and casually replied, "My husband's family is really into sailing." She didn't see anything out of the ordinary – or what she knew to be ordinary. She gave it one more cursory look before turning around to face Nora. "I think we should go talk to the marina manager. See when he last saw Louis or if he noticed anyone suspicious hanging around."

Nora grinned and replied, "Aye, aye captain."

Sam just rolled her eyes and went above deck.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

XoXoXoXoX

Danny sat at the conference desk scrolling through Louis' bank records while Paul sat across from him reading through their missing person's phone records. So far there was nothing unusual about Louis' spending habits. He paged down and kept reading but it was difficult to focus on the task since his thoughts kept jumping from Jack's retirement to the new available SAC position to getting Emma out of her pants later tonight.

He was sad to hear that Jack, his mentor and surrogate father figure, was leaving the bureau. If there was one thing Danny hated it was the idea of his work family falling apart. It sucked when Viv left but with her medical issues he knew it was for the best. She was also really good at planning events so that they still got to see each other on occasion and she often volunteered to watch his sons. She often joked that she liked to practice in case Reggie ever gave her any grandkids of her own. He didn't like it when Martin transferred to another unit but he still got to see him around the office. Plus, thanks to their friendship and Emma's friendship with Sam they got to hang out a lot outside the office. But if he were completely honest with himself, as much as he loved Jack he knew that there was a strong chance that if they didn't work together they would see very little of each other. It was that thought that broke his heart; his big manly masculine heart, of course.

And then there was the idea of taking over as SAC. He couldn't deny that he really wanted the job. He was eager to take on a more authoritative role in the bureau and felt it was long overdue. He might have pursued it in sooner but he really liked working missing persons and there were only three units. One led by Jack, the other by Martin and the third by SAC Dennis who showed no signs of abandoning his position anytime soon.

The only con he could foresee was family time. The benefit of still being a field agent versus SAC was that while Diego was sick he could take large chunks of time off without having any real adverse affects to the team. But his son was getting stronger everyday so now just might be the optimal time for a career boost. A jump start to get the entire family moving upward and forward again.

However, there was still the issue of Samantha. It did not escape his attention that there was a little glint in her eye when Jack mentioned the job opening. It was going to be a problem if they both pursued the job but he also knew that they were both professionals and they would just have to understand that it boils down to may the best man win.

Finally his thoughts landed on his favorite subject: Emma.

He was finally feeling like they were back on track. Not only had they come out stronger after dealing with something no parents should have to go through but ever since she stood up to her father he could feel a shift in attitude during Richard's visits.

XoX

"_Exactly how many boxes of Legos did you buy?" Emma asked as she lingered in the doorway of the boys' bedroom. _

_Danny looked over at her from where he sat with Eli sitting between his legs, the two of them working together as they added layers of blocks to their skyscraper. He smiled at his wife, the lower half of her body obscured by the towers of Legos that he and the boys had constructed and replied, "I don't remember." _

"_Why am I not surprised?" Emma quipped as she leaned against the doorjamb. _

"_D, pass me that box," Mike ordered from where he sat across from Danny. "I have an idea." _

_Diego tossed one of the boxes to his brother before returning his concentration to the model of the Empire State Building that he was working on. _

_Mike had been pestering his brother to play videogames but the rapid graphics and light bothered Diego's eyes, causing him to get migraines. Which was just another joyful side effect of the treatments to his still healing body. Wanting to give the boys something fun to do he went out and bought boxes and boxes of Legos. It was an activity that they could do indoors since Diego couldn't spend too much time outside yet and it engaged the boys' creative side. So on this lazy Saturday afternoon, he and the boys were setting up their own mini city constructed out of the colorful small plastic squares. Well, it was mostly city like buildings although there was also some stuff that was medieval, space, and western since Danny just grabbed whatever Lego sets he could find. _

_He was watching each of his sons working on their individual tasks, comparing notes on how to best layer the Lego's when the doorbell rang._

"_That must be the pizza," Emma said before excusing herself to go answer it. _

_Danny handed Eli a block to add to their wall when he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Without looking up he said, "What do you say we have a picnic in Taylor Town?" _

"_I'm afraid I don't know where that is." _

_He looked up to see Richard standing in the doorway. "Richard. Hello."_

"_Danny, you're looking well," he replied with a small smile. _

"_Thanks. So do you," he replied with an evaluating look. This new and improved fractionally friendlier Richard was still taking some getting used to. "I didn't know you were coming over."_

"_Yes, sorry to drop by unexpectedly. We're having dinner with some old friends in the city so we thought we would swing by and check in on how things were going." Richard looked over at the boys. "How are my grandsons today?" _

"_Good," Diego replied as he stood up and gave his grandfather a hug. _

"_Hey grandpa," Mike said as he quickly stood up, gave his grandfather a hug before returning his focus to his construction._

_Eli jumped off of Danny's lap and ran around to give his grandfather a hug. Richard picked up the tyke who began pointing to their Lego village, explaining which parts he did personally. "This is quite the project," Richard commented, studying their progress. "So is this Taylor Town?"_

"_Yeah," Diego agreed. "We've been working on it all day." _

_Danny listened idly as the boy's began explaining some of their plans for their buildings. He picked up a few stray pieces and started snapping them onto the roof of the helter-skelter looking building that he and Eli had been constructing. Eli was more concerned with adding blocks rather than placement. That's the problem with three-year olds, no concern for aesthetics. _

"_Well, it's very impressive looking," Richard commented as he put Eli down. The little boy scurried to Danny and plopped back down, grabbed a handful of Legos and began snapping them anywhere he could make them fit. _

_Richard sat on Mike's bed and ran his eyes over their plastic cityscape, watching them work. Ever since Emma kicked them out they hadn't seen much of Richard and Marilyn. Not that he really minded but he knew that it had to be hard for them to not see the boys as much as they wanted to. In spite of his relationship with his in-laws he knew without a doubt that they adored their grandsons. _

_However, even though he knew that Richard was trying to get back in Emma's good graces he couldn't help but keep waiting for the man to make some sort comment, some sort of dig at him, an off handed comment on how he could make a more structurally sound building. But to his amazement his father-in-law just sat there and watched them with an amused smile on his face. _

"_How's everything going in here?" Emma asked, walking into the bedroom, her eyes darting between him and her father. _

_Danny cast a quick glance at Richard before setting his gaze back at his wife. He smiled and replied, "Everything's fine." _

_She nodded with a smile and then exited the room. _

_He picked up the box of an ambulance set and held them out for Richard; an olive branch in a box. "Maybe as long as you're here you can put this together for us." _

"_I'd be happy to," Richard replied taking the box._

_They shared a knowing look before Danny glanced back at his sons. He surveyed the large area filled with plastic buildings, a castle, and space station and wondered how long it was going to take them to take it apart later on. "Man, what are we going to do with this thing when we're done?" _

_Mike looked up at him. "Don't worry, dad, we've already got that covered. MDE Demolition Crew has already accepted the job." _

_He fixed his gaze on his son. "Alright, but no explosives." _

_Diego shook his head at his brother. "I told you he wouldn't go for it."_

XoX

He heard Paul's phone ring and watched as he stood up to go answer it. "Turner. Send her to interview room three." He replaced the phone on the receiver and looked over at him. "Louis' niece is here."

Danny shut his laptop closed. "Jack's downstairs talking to HR so I guess that leaves us."

He and Paul walked to the interview room. As they passed through the one-way window he saw a short woman with medium length brown hair and tortoise shell glasses sitting at the table.

They entered the room and Danny smiled at her as he made introductions. "Ms. Baird, I'm special agent Taylor and this is special agent Turner."

She smiled at them. "Please, call me Sidney."

"Okay Sidney," he replied as they both took seats opposite the young woman. He flipped open his notebook. "I know you already answered some of these questions but I'd really like to just review them again." She nodded. "Now, what makes you think your uncle is missing?"

"Since my parents died we're pretty much the only family each of us has. My uncle gets lonely and calls me almost everyday just to check in, keep in touch. But when I hadn't heard from him in almost two days, I just knew something was wrong." She adjusted her frames. "I stopped by his boat and he wasn't there. I called his work and the manager couldn't even guarantee me that he had been there recently."

"How's that?" Paul asked.

"He is a night watchman at a freight company," she replied. "He works the graveyard shift from eleven to six am. He doesn't see anyone before or after his shift. He's mostly there for show. To scare off any teenagers who might want to party there." She shook her head and cradled her arms close. "I've been trying to talk him into retiring early but he insisted on working right up until he had to go."

"When was the last time you saw him in person?" Danny asked.

"Three nights ago," she replied. "He came to my apartment for dinner."

XoX

"_That was great," Louis commented as he pushed his dinner plate away from him. "You make a better roast than your mother."_

_She stood up, picking up his plate in the process. "It's her recipe, I just tweaked it a little bit." She walked over to the sink and started rinsing the plates before placing them in the dishwasher. "So you have two options for dessert. I have key lime pie or ice cream bars."_

"_Well, you know I love ice cream but considering my lactose issues and having to work tonight I better go with the pie." _

"_Why don't you just retire already?" She asked as she closed the dishwasher. "You can afford it." She picked up two dessert plates and the pie tin on her way back to the table. "If you retired you could go fishing whenever you want. Maybe take the boat down to Florida for a bit and see some of your old friends." _

"_No way," he replied, watching her cut him a slice. "I work until I can't work anymore. A man needs a purpose in life; a reason to get up everyday. I'd get bored not working."_

_She placed the plate in front of him. She wanted to argue with him but knew it was of no use. "Well, if you're not going to retire can you at least see if you can get a day shift? I get worried knowing that you are out there all alone in the middle of the night."_

"_I'm fine, Sidney," he replied, cutting into the slice with his fork. "I'm used to my hours and I basically just sit there and watch the monitors." He took a bite and mid-chew finished, "And then I get home just in time to do a bit of fishing."_

_She cut a slice for herself, knowing there wasn't any point having this same old argument again. "I guess if your mind is set." _

"_It is," he replied with a wink. "Now tell me about this young man you've been seeing…"_

XoX

"After dessert, we had some coffee and chatted until he had to go to work," she finished.

"Were there any people he might have been having problems with recently?" Paul asked as he scribbled something into his notebook.

"No, he had a few friends but was mostly a loner," she replied, shaking her head. " I know it sounds like I am being a overly concerned but I know my uncle. He is a creature of habit and there is something really wrong. You have to find him."

"We'll do everything we can," Danny replied sympathetically. He slid his notebook and pen over to her and said, "Please write down the name and address of the warehouse where he works. We're going to want to go talk to his manager ourselves."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

XoXoXoXoX

Martin was waiting for the elevator to go up to Randi's apartment when his cell phone shrilled in his coat pocket. He pulled it out and answered, "Fitzgerald."

"Hey," Sam's smoky voice greeted him. "Got a minute?"

"For you, always," he replied, a smile crossing his lips.

"I have some news." Her voice went low, almost conspiratorial. "Jack is retiring."

"Really?" he replied, taken aback. "I heard some rumblings about what OPR was considering but I never thought he would actually choose retirement."

"Tell me about it. The whole idea is really surreal." She sighed and then added, "But that's not why I'm calling, at least not exactly. He mentioned that Danny or I should consider applying for his position."

Martin leaned against the wall, his back pressed up against the cold tile. "Yeah, I mean, why not? You both are great agents, there is no reason you shouldn't apply."

"Yeah, I know." Her voice was so thoughtful he could almost hear her mental wheels spinning through the phone. "I know I can do the job but it will mean more hours away from the kids. I hate the thought of taking more time away from them but as far as my career goes, this is a big opportunity."

He wanted to be supportive and tell Sam to pursue the job but the old fashioned man that lived inside him hated the thought of his kids spending even more time being raised by a nanny. While Frances was wonderful she was no substitute for their real mom. But he also knew that he was holding Sam up to a standard that he couldn't even measure up to. He took his SAC job without even consulting her. He wasn't around the kids as much as he wanted to be, the job demanding a lot of his time. Whenever he felt guilty about it he would rationalize that he spent more time with Grace and Nate than his father ever did with him. And then he would remind himself that wasn't saying much.

"There are a lot of things to consider," he said at last.

"You sound weird," she commented; her tone wary. "Do you not want me to pursue it?"

"No, I mean, I want you to do what you want to do. It's your decision," he replied. He was trying to sound as open as he could but he knew the moment the words came out of his mouth he was trying too hard. "I just think we need to talk about this some more later. That's it."

She didn't reply right away and he was worried that she was angry but instead she just sighed and said, "You're right. We really need to think this all out." She cleared her throat and her voice rose back to her normal level as she asked, "So where are you? Dawson said you had to go out to see a friend."

"Viv called me," he replied, relieved to have something else to discuss. "She's worried about one of her students so she wanted me to come meet her."

"Is the student missing?"

"It's too early to be sure. I wanted to look into it before I got my team involved," he replied when the elevator doors started to open. "I'm getting on an elevator now. Can I call you back?"

"No, that's okay," she replied casually. "I'm at the marina working on a case. We'll talk more tonight."

"The marina, huh? Missing sailor?"

"He's actually a night watchman. He just lives on his boat," she replied. "It's actually a pretty nice ship; an Albemarle 280 Express Fisherman."

The doors started to close and he stepped forward, his body notifying the sensors to not let the doors shut. "You recognized the type of boat it was?"

"Yeah," she replied with a laugh. "Don't sound so surprised. I have picked up a thing or two from you. It looks the boat we rented in Hawaii to go fishing. The flybridge isn't as spacious but it has adequate salon and berth space for a single man living alone. Although, I do have to say, I still prefer sailing boats to motor boats. I like the look of a sail forty-four feet in the air, propelling us across the water and the whipping sound it makes versus the steady hum of a motor engine."

He was quiet, aroused by the sound of his wife discussing all things nautical. "What are you wearing?" he throatily asked.

She laughed. "You are such a sailing pervert. Goodbye."

"Alright, bye," he replied, sounding deflated. "But I want to continue this conversation later, too."

"Okay but in the meantime," he voice went soft and purred, "helm, starboard, sloop, aft…squall." And then she hung up.

He clicked his phone off and mumbled, "Tease."

He stepped back and let the doors close. When they opened up again he exited the elevator and walked up to the apartment door marked '9B.' He knocked and moments later the door swung open and there was Viv.

"Martin, thanks for coming," she greeted him, stepping aside to let him enter.

"No problem." He glanced around the small apartment. It was decorated in the ubiquitous student fashion. In the center of the room sat a futon with a bright red cover. The coffee table and chair looked like they had been purchased from a local thrift shop. The most expensive item in the living room was the TV which was housed in an entertainment center that looked like it was made of particleboard; probably purchased at Ikea. "So, how about you get me up to speed, did you learn anything?"

She shook her head. "Nothing more than I what I told you on the phone." She started walking down the hallway. "Randi's laptop and backpack are gone so I can't backtrack any research she might have been doing online. I have her roommate, Angie, double checking to make sure that Randi's day planner is gone, too."

They walked into the bedroom and he saw a woman with her back to them. She was short with jet-black hair tied back into a ponytail and dressed in hipster clothing with a vintage t-shirt, plaid skirt, and converse sneakers. She was searching through some bureau drawers when she heard them enter. She spun around and said, "Sorry, Vivian. It's not here. She must have taken that with her, too."

Viv introduced the two of them before focusing her attention on Martin. "We've torn this place apart. We can't find anything that might tell us what sort of lead Randi was following."

Martin glanced around Randi's room. Her bookshelf was filled with crime novels by authors like Sue Grafton, James Patterson, and Thomas Harris along with textbooks on forensics, U. S. history and the law. At the top of the bookshelf was the wireless router for the Internet modem. He looked at Angie and asked, "Can you tell me exactly what Randi told you before she left?"

"Yeah," she replied with a nod. "It's like I told Vivian. She was in here doing some research on her laptop…"

XoX

_Angie walked into Randi's room carrying a laundry basket. She tossed some socks, jeans and a t-shirt onto the bed. "Once again, some of your clothes magically made it into my laundry basket. You know you could just ask me to wash some of your stuff instead of constantly sneaking stuff in." _

_Randi quickly glanced at he, grinned and said, "Sorry. I didn't have any time to do it myself this week," before looking back at her computer screen. _

_She plopped down on the bed, resting the basket on her thighs. She jutted her chin at the computer and said, "You've been on that thing for days. You have some big paper due or something?" _

"_Or something," she muttered, clicking a few keys. _

_Angie lowered the basket down on the floor and pulled out a towel. She started folding it and asked, "Does this have something to do with that case you are investigating with your professor?" _

_Randi stopped what she was doing and looked over at her. "I think I might have found a big lead. Huge actually."_

_She put the folded towel on the bed next to her and pulled out another one. "That's great. She's going to be thrilled."_

"_I don't think thrilled is the word," she replied, biting her lip worriedly. _

"_What?" _

_Randi looked like she wanted to say something but decided against it. "I think I need to make sure I'm right before I say anything more. It's too devastating. I can't afford to be wrong." She shut her laptop closed and shoved it into her backpack before standing up and grabbing her jacket off the back of her door. _

"_Where are you going?" Angie asked, confused by her roommates sudden zeal. _

_Randi started walking out of the room and said, "I'm going to the library. I need to check on something."_

XoX

"She wouldn't say anything more about it," Angie finished. "She just left."

He nodded his head and glanced back at Viv. "These days' kids can find almost everything they want to know online. What kind of research do you think she needed to do?"

Viv shrugged. "I guess we need to go to the library to find out."

"I think you're right." Martin excused himself and lingered in the hallway as Viv said goodbye to Angie, trying to reassure her that she was going to find out where Randi was. When he heard Viv's tenacious footsteps headed his way he pressed the call button for the elevator.

She appeared at his side just as the doors slid open. He stepped back and motioned for her to board first. Once inside she sighed heavily and said, "I don't like this, Martin. It really bothers me that just when she may have found an important lead in the case that she disappears. It can't just be a coincidence."

He pressed the button for the lobby and quietly asked the question that had been gnawing at him since Angie told him what Randi had said. "Viv, why do you think she didn't want to tell you until she was completely sure?"

Viv turned, fixing her eyes on his and evenly asked, "What are you getting at Martin?"

He swallowed. He didn't want to say what he was thinking but if he was going to help her locate Randi she had to know that he was going to go the distance on whatever information they found. So as carefully as he could he said, "All I'm saying is that Randi may have uncovered something that you won't like. I just need to make sure you can handle whatever it is we might find out."

She lowered her eyes, focusing on the floor, before releasing a resolute sigh. "Martin, let's just focus on finding Randi right now. Whatever truths we may uncover in the process I will deal with as they come."

He nodded his head and gently placed his hand on her shoulder as they rode the rest of the way down in silence.

XoXoXoXoXoXoX

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! I appreciate you taking the time to post a review. It really means a lot even though I am horrible about replying. I will do my best from this post on to answer any questions that might come up.

As to whether the job will go to Sam or Danny all I can say is yes. It will go to one of them. 8-)

As always and forever, thanks for reading.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

XoXoXoX

Jack adjusted his grip on the steering wheel trying his best to avoid Danny's constant glances. Since the moment they got on the road to go interview Baird's manager he felt the other agent's eyes on him. It wouldn't have been so bad if Danny didn't look so much like a puppy in danger of losing his favorite chew toy. Unable to take it a moment longer he glared at him and said, "Cut it out already."

Danny quickly looked away, muttering, "Sorry."

"Don't apologize. Just stop looking at me like I am your dog that you have to put down," he replied as he steered the car into the parking lot of the freight warehouse where Louis Baird worked.

"Sorry," Danny replied as Jack parked the car. "It's just, I'm gonna miss you man."

Jack keyed off the ignition. "How about you wait until I am officially gone? Then you can start missing me all you want." He reached for the handle and opened the car door. "Until then let's just do our work."

"You got it boss," Danny quipped as he stepped out.

The two agents walked towards the building. They located the small office off the side marked, 'Site Manager' and went inside. After years of working together he didn't even have to look at Danny to know that they both immediately began studying the layout of the office, checking for signs of anything that may provide a clue to Bair's whereabouts.

Behind the counter sat a pleasant looking woman with short bleached blonde hair. She looked over at them and smiled. "Good morning, gentlemen, what can I do for you today?"

Jack flashed his badge. "I'm special agent Jack Malone," he jerked his head to Danny, "and this is special agent Danny Taylor. We need to speak to Marvin Wintermute."

Her eyes went wide with worry but she didn't inquire as to their reasons for wanting to talk to Wintermute. She simply nodded her head and excused herself, disappearing into the back office. Moments later she returned with a scrawny looking man with short light brown curly hair who looked about thirty years old. He was wearing a short-sleeved button up shirt with a brown and yellow striped tie. Jack immediately made the man as being a classic paper pusher who was probably got the job as site manager by being a relative of the owner.

"Hello, I'm Marvin Wintermute," he cleared his throat nervously, "What can I do for the FBI?"

He pocketed his ID. "We'd like to ask you some questions about Louis Baird."

The young man's eyes darted between them and he replied, "His niece called you, too, huh?"

"She's concerned that he hasn't called her in two days."

"That's because he lost his cell phone. He was complaining that he had been calling her on speed dial for so long that he forgot her actual phone number," Marvin replied airily. "He could be forgetful like that. He's probably out on his boat."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "about a couple of weeks."

Danny stepped forward and leaned on the counter, looking casual while subtly invading the manager's space. "How is it that you are his manager and not see your employee for such a long period of time?"

"He gets to work after I am gone and leaves before I get here," Marvin replied, slightly defensive. "Look, if it were up to me he wouldn't even work here anymore."

Jack shared a look with Danny before saying, "Wanna elaborate?"

Marvin sighed. "This is my father's business. He hired Louis the same year he started the company. When he retired he said I could make any changes I deemed necessary but I wasn't allowed to fire or lay off any employees without his okay." His eyes darted to the secretary that greeted them earlier, thinking she wouldn't notice but Jack saw her roll her eyes and a look of irritation cross her face. Marvin motioned to the state of the art camera mounted in the corner to the ceiling. "Louis is too old to be much of a threat to any potential thieves so I installed a state of the art security system and just kept him on the job to keep my dad happy."

"So Louis was just some sort of token employee?" he asked, pulling out his notepad to make a note. He felt like Louis was his new kindred spirit.

"Yeah," Marvin replied with a nod. "And Louis seemed fine with that arrangement. At least he did up until last month…"

XoX

"_Look, I already told you that I am not going to hire any more security guards," Marvin replied as he walked through a maze of freights doing an inventory. "I paid a lot of money for the new security system and I think the alarms and cameras do the job just fine." _

_Louis followed him around, looking uncomfortable at having to speak to a kid half his age as his superior. "Your new system may be helpful when it comes to tracking the freights but the thing is that those fancy cameras of yours don't scare off those teenagers who keep coming through here to make out and spray graffiti." _

_Marvin stopped in front of a large freight, jotting some numbers down in his notebook. "Well I'm not worried about teenagers."_

"_I've done this job long enough to know that some of those kids coming through are going to get bored one night and want to look into a freight to see if there is anything worth stealing," Louis replied, sounding frustrated. _

_Marvin kept writing, not even bothering to look up. "And if they do, they will be recorded by the security cameras and an alarm will sound notifying the police to come investigate."_

"_We are isolated out here," Louis replied, his voice sounding wizened by experience. "By the time police get here they will be long gone." _

"_It's a chance we're just going to have to take."_

_Louis shook his head, looking exhausted by Marvin's short sightedness. "It's a real shame your old man retired, he'd get it."_

_This time Marvin did look up. "Yeah well, my dad knew when it was time to get off the job. Maybe you should follow his lead." _

_That said, he smiled at Louis and then walked away. _

XoX

Jack suddenly felt great empathy for the missing person. He also felt a great urge to wipe the smirk off of Marvin's face. But considering all that has happened in the last few weeks he restrained himself and settled for a disgusted look. "I'm going to need all the tapes from the security camera for the last week,"

"We don't have tapes," Marvin replied, shaking his head. "The camera sends the recordings to my computer at home so I can monitor things from there."

"Then go home and make me some copies," he growled, growing increasingly annoyed by Marvin's obstinacy. "I'll have a few FBI agents meet you there."

Marvin hesitated and asked, "Is there any chance that this can it wait until tonight? I'm expecting a big shipment this afternoon."

"No," Jack spat back. Briefly wondering if the bureau would penalize him any further since he already agree to retirement. It would feel really good to smack that guy around a little bit. No, better not risk it. So he choose something else he was good at – sarcasm. "So you can either run on home and get those tapes so we oldies can conduct a good old fashioned investigation or I can just arrest you for obstructing an investigation. What will it be, Junior?"

Marvin grimaced and then looked over at his secretary. "I'm going to head home to get the tapes. Have Frank cover the delivery for me."

"Yes, Mr. Wintermute," she replied with a smirk for him and a smile for Jack.

Marvin started heading back to his office as Jack added, "Hey, just think, if you had hired another guard we could be asking him questions and not have to bother you at all. I guess technology does have some drawbacks."

The man shot Jack a look before walking through the door to his office.

Danny chuckled as he leaned in towards him and said, "Seriously, I am going to miss this."

Jack allowed himself to smile as he replied, "I'm going to miss this, too."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

XoXoXoX

"This library is huge," Martin commented as he and Viv walked into the NYU's Elmer Holmes Bobst library. He scanned the area: the shelves filled with books filed by the dewey decimal system, students gathered around tables littered with notebooks and backpacks sharing notes and highlighting text, and the occasional student with their head on the table sleeping softly. "It reminds me of marathon study sessions when I was back in college."

"Not for me," Vivian replied. "Working as a professor all I see is students doing research for papers that I am just going to have to read later."

He smiled at her as they made a beeline for the circulation desk. Sitting behind the mahogany counter stood an older woman who looked like she may have been a radical hippie back in the day. She had stringy brown and gray hair that was pulled back into a loose ponytail revealing her small bead earrings. She watched them approach behind her black plastic frames and asked, "Hello, can I help you?"

He started to pull out his badge when Viv motioned for him to put it away. She smiled at the librarian and said, "Hello, I'm professor Johnson," she motioned to Martin, "And this is special agent Fitzgerald. We're looking for one of my students. Her name is Randi Nordland."

"I know Randi," the librarian replied. "She's a," she paused, searching for the right adjective, "tenacious young woman."

"That's her." Viv smiled at the very apt description of the young woman she had gotten to know very well over the last few months. "Her roommate said she came by here last night. Did you see her?"

"I wasn't on shift but she often stops by and has someone at the circulation desk help locate books for her." The librarian stepped over to a computer at the end of he counter. "I can check and see if she checked out any materials last night."

As they waited to see what results would come up, Martin looked around wondering what lead could have led her to the university library. While he considered the library to be a great resource for academic research he had no idea how it would aid in a rape investigation. His eyes landed on the entrance and in his mind he pictured an eager young Randi hurrying into the library chasing her lead. He tried to guess which direction she would have gone but not knowing her she just stood there until the mental image of her faded away. He glanced around and his eyes landed on the security camera aimed at the doors.

"Nothing," the librarian said aloud, getting his attention. "If she was here she didn't check anything out."

"Do you have any idea where she would have most likely visited here?" Viv asked, obviously upset by reaching a dead end.

"No. Students go anywhere and everywhere. Sorry."

Martin stepped up and pointed to the security camera. "Are these the only cameras or are there more in the building?"

"We have them at all the entrances and in special section," the librarian replied.

"Can you call security and tell them that we would like to take a look at the footage from last night?"

"No need," she replied, stepping out from behind the counter. She motioned for them to follow her to a room off to the side. "All of the footage is recorded onto the DVD-R's back here. The university doesn't consider the library to be a high security risk so our system is still a bit antiquated."

They followed her into a small backroom that looked like it was not only being used as a security room but also as a storage closet and utility room. She walked over and pulled a few DVDs out from a drawer. She handed them to Martin and said, "These are the ones from last night."

Viv pulled out the chair in front of the TV screens and said, "If it's alright with you I'd like to take a look at them right now," as she sat down and took one of the DVDs from Martin, inserting it into the player.

He knew Viv was so much as asking a question as telling them what she fully planned on doing. He smiled at the librarian and said, "We'll try not to be too long."

They both watched as Viv fast forwarded to around the time that Randi would have arrived. Then suddenly the young woman appeared on screen. She entered through the main entrance and stopped, glancing around. She seemed to have spotted who or what she was looking for to her right and walked determinedly in that direction and off screen.

He looked over at the librarian and asked, "What part of the library is that?"

"Literature and art history," she replied.

"Are cameras in that section?" he asked, his eyes darting between her, Viv, and the TV screen.

"Not right now. It broke a few months ago and physical plant hasn't gotten around to replacing it yet." She sighed heavily. "Like I said, we aren't high on the priority list."

"Look!" Viv anxiously said; her eyes focused intently on the monitors. "There she is leaving the library through the side exit."

Martin asked her to rewind and they all watched the scene from last night play out.

XoX

_A large group exited the building. There were numerous men and women walking out, all huddled together and talking animatedly. It was dark that some of their faces were hidden in the shadows, impossible to make out any features. Soon the crowd thinned out and a few scragglers lagged behind. _

_Then the door opened up again and there was Randi. She was purposely trying to stay out of sight, her eyes focused on someone or something in the distance. She moved carefully down the steps, cautious not to be seen. She moved slowly down the sidewalk and then disappeared off camera. _

XoX

"She's following someone," Martin commented. He reached past Viv and hit the rewind button, watching as everyone on the screen walked backwards back into the library. He hit play and narrowed his eyes, trying to guess who she may have been following. He turned to Viv and asked, "Do you recognize any faces that might clue you in on who she was following?"

She shook her head, frustrated. "No."

He could feel the waves of emotions rolling off of Viv; her fears for Randi, her anger at feeling useless, and her rage at the thought that the rapist may have found his next victim. He faced the screens again, this time pausing on the image of Randi carefully watching someone and he wondered where she was now. He looked at the librarian and asked, "That's a large group to leave at once. Was there a special event last night?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," she replied. "It was probably just the monthly Greek meeting."

"Greek as in the language or the fraternities?" he asked, his pulse racing at the possible lead.

"Frats," she replied, taken aback by his excitement. "They've been meeting here for the last few months since their headquarters is being remodeled."

He exchanged a worried look with Viv but neither one was willing to say aloud what they were worried about. Both unsure if the lead Randi found was going to hit Viv too close to home.

They left the library with copies of the DVDs hoping that someone in the tech department would be able to enhance it and maybe get some recognizable faces. They were both quiet on the drive to the office. Each consumed by their thoughts on how to proceed and what leads Randi may have uncovered and how they lead to her disappearance.

They got off the elevator at the bureau and walked towards his office. As they did he noticed that Viv's eyes were surveying her surroundings, a wistful look on her face. Since she left the bureau all those years ago she had only been to the office a handful of times and never for too long.

They reached his office and he saw that his door was open. He could have sworn that he locked it. He took a step into his office and cringed when he saw who was seated behind his desk. "Dad, I'm so sorry. I got busy with a case and completely forgot that you were coming this afternoon."

"It's alright, son. Work comes first," Victor replied as he stood up and extended his hand. They shook when Victor shifted his focus to Viv. "Professor Johnson, it's a pleasure to see you again."

"Mr. Fitzgerald," she replied shaking his hand. "My condolences on the loss of your wife. Katherine was a lovely woman."

A flicker of sadness crossed his father's face as he said, "Yes she was. Thank you," before it returned to the stoic one he knew so well. "So what brings you back to the FBI?"

"Martin is leading an investigation of one of my students." Viv folded her arms close to her body. "He's letting me assist in the investigation."

"Really?" Victor asked, his eyes wide with curiosity as he looked over at Martin. "Well, since you are bringing in former FBI agents maybe you can let your old man help out, too." He slowly led Vivian to the couch. "Why don't you get me up to speed?"

Viv nodded and said, "Her name is Randi Nordland…"

"Dad, I don't think…" Martin tried to interrupt, knowing full well it was way too late. Viv and Victor were already engrossed in conversation and discussing theories. He sighed heavily as he accepted the fact that he was going to have to work a case with his meddling dad.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

XoXoXoX

"Nothing, nothing, nothing," Danny chanted as he sat with Hank, the video tech, at one of the desks reviewing the security footage from the warehouse where Louis Baird worked. Hank was one in a long series of techs he had worked with over the years. He was a nice enough guy, thin, quiet and an undeniable geek but friendly. Not to mention his tech kung fu was top notch. They had been reviewing footage for the last fifteen minutes. He watched as Louis appeared on screen again and said, "Louis throwing the trash, going back inside, nothing, nothing, nothing…"

"Some things never change," a familiar voice commented. He spun around in the chair to see Viv walking into the room. She smiled at him and finished, "You still insist on narrating out loud."

"It helps keep me awake," he quipped, standing up and giving his old friend a hug. "What are you doing here?"

As she told him about Randi's disappearance and how she was working with Martin to hopefully find the missing girl he couldn't help but think how sadly serendipitous this was. He was working with Jack on one of his last cases and now here was Viv working with Martin. It almost felt like the original team was reunited. Well, except for the fact that Martin and Viv were working on one case and he, Sam, and Jack were working another. And of course, Jack and Viv weren't speaking to each other because of the accusations hurled at Reggie in regards to Kate's rape. So it was a fractured and bittersweet reunion but a reunion nonetheless.

"So I am just dropping these tapes off to see if they can enhance the image and hopefully get some faces we can identify," Viv finished. She looked at Hank and asked, "So is it you I give this to?"

Hank took the DVD, putting on the desk. "I will get on it as soon as I'm done with agent Taylor."

"Thanks," she replied, glancing over Danny's shoulder. "Is that your guy?"

He looked back at the TV screen and watched as Louis hurried across the parking lot towards something before disappearing off screen. "Shit," he grumbled. "It looks like something got his attention."

"Sure does," Viv agreed.

He looked at Hank and asked, "Do we have any footage of that area?"

Hank shook his head. "No. He was running to the edge of the parking lot that is the river. There's no reason to monitor that section."

Viv folded her arms and said, "Looks like you are will just have to go down there and do some good old fashioned foot work."

He stood up and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair. "You and Jack just love it when we have to do it old school don't you?" He shrugged on his jacket laughing lightly when he saw the bitter look on Viv's face. "I'm sorry, Viv, I forgot…"

She held up her hand to stop him. "Don't worry about it." She cleared her throat and gestured for him to leave. "You better get going. You have to find out what that guard thought was so interesting and I have to get Hank here to work on my tape." She sat down in the chair he vacated and watched as Hank inserted the DVD into the player.

He felt bad about his momentary lapse at comparing her and Jack as being the same. He knew that she was still very raw about Jack's willingness to believe Reggie would harm Kate. While he wasn't taking sides in this battle – both sides had compelling reasons for feeling what they did – he didn't want to make her feel bad either.

"Seriously, I'm sorry that…" he began.

"Danny, I told you, it's alright," she interrupted with a forced smile. With a cheerier tone she said, "Get out of here and get to work already."

He lingered a bit, not wanting to leave it this way, but he knew she was right. He had to go. So he bid her a final goodbye and headed down the hall to the bullpen. As he walked he couldn't help but think back to when he first started working in the missing persons unit. Back then Jack and Vivian's children were a uniting force not a dividing one…

XoX

_When he started working MPU their offices were dingy gray in color and the areas were sectioned into small cubicle spaces. A far cry from the stylish offices they had now. He sat at his desk reading through pages of credit card history for their missing person when he heard some footsteps headed his way. He looked up and spotted Jack and Viv walking in his direction. Viv was carrying a file folder and her hair was pulled back into a bun that she often favored in those days. Jack looked the same but younger, wearing his ubiquitous black suit, white shirt and black tie. _

_They were engaged in discussion and she laughed at something he told her. _

"_She's a toddler," he heard Vivian say to Jack as they neared. "The good Lord made them cute so that you don't kill them when they are making you crazy."_

"_I just want one good night of sleep," he said, rubbing his eyes. "We didn't have this many problems with Hanna."_

"_Kate's a different baby," she replied, sitting down at her own desk. She gave Danny a smile as way of greeting before looking back at Jack. "Believe it or not but this is just a phase. If you and Maria just stand your ground she'll get used to going to sleep when you want her to and not the other way around." She tossed the file on the tabletop. "I wish I could offer you better advice but I had the opposite problem with Reggie. Getting him to sleep was no problem. Waking him up on the other hand, was horrible."_

_He nodded knowingly. "Sounds like Hanna." He leaned up and sat on the edge of her desk. "She's so grumpy when she finally wakes up that I wish I could give her a cup of coffee to see if that would help."_

"_Like father, like daughter, huh?" Danny quipped, trying to ingratiate himself with the two senior agents. He was still the rookie on the team and while he was an experienced police officer he had never felt greener in his life. So he was still trying to navigate the terrain of the FBI and endear himself to the team._

_They both went quiet as Jack fixed his gaze on him and replied, "Are you saying you think I am grumpy?" _

"_No. Well, um sometimes, no, what I mean is," Danny quickly replied, laughing nervously. "I just, um, I only meant that," he stammered, tugging at his collar, feeling hot suddenly. He didn't know why these two made him so nervous. He was the cut up when he worked NYPD but these two were hard to read. "I was, uh…" _

_Both Jack and Viv broke into laughter. He stood up and patted Danny on the back as he walked away. "Take it easy, Taylor. You were right the first time, I am a grump."_

_Danny was still laughing nervously as Jack walked around the corner and out of sight. He glanced over at Viv who was watching him bemusedly. _

_She turned in her chair so she could face him fully. "You're trying too hard," she advised him. "Just relax. Jack has a sense of humor, too, you know." _

"_I can't help it," he confided in her. "He makes me felt inadequate or something. Like I have to prove myself."_

"_He's your boss, not your father. Do good work and things will be fine," she replied with a comforting smile. "Just be yourself. He likes you." _

_Danny rolled his chair closer to her desk and asked, "He said that?"_

"_No," she replied, opening her folder. She looked like she was trying to concentrate on what she was reading. _

"_Than how do you know?" he pressed, wanting – no, needing – confirmation. _

_She sighed and looked at him. "If he didn't like you he wouldn't have let you join the team." _

XoX

Danny shook his head sadly at the memory. Those days felt like a lifetime ago.

As he approached the bullpen he saw Nora and Sam sitting at the conference table talking with Jack. He walked up to them and caught the end of the conversation.

"So I told the marina manager to give me a call if Louis shows up," Sam finished. When she saw him near she smiled at him and said, "Hey."

Jack turned to face him. "Any luck with the security footage?"

"Yeah," he replied, stepping up to the desk. "The last time Louis appears on screen it looks like he saw something at the end of the parking lot. Which of course is not viewable from the cameras."

"Alright," Jack said as he stood up. He looked at Sam and Nora and said, "You two keep digging into his background in case anything pops up. To be safe, check up on his niece, too." He waved his hand for Danny to follow him. "We're going to go look around the parking lot, see if we come up with anything."

Danny got into step alongside Jack as they walked towards the elevators. Jack pulled out his cell phone to round up some extra agents to meet up with them at the warehouse. As he they were walking and talking they passed by the tech office where Vivian was sitting with Hank reviewing the tapes.

He tried to act as interference and block Jack's view but it was too late. Jack and Viv's eyes met. Jack slowed down, his eyes not quite believing what he was seeing.

Feeling an urge to bridge communication, he said, "She's helping Martin with a case. One of her students is missing."

"Really?" he mumbled, sounding unemotional and detached.

Danny nodded and watched asViv's eyes narrowed but refused to break contact with Jack's. He could feel the tension rolling off of Jack in thick crushing waves. The moment felt like an old western movie when the dueling gunfighters would stare each other down before their shoot out at high noon. He wondered if he should do or say something to break the spell when Jack flinched. He turned back around to look down the hall towards the elevator. It occurred to Danny that Vivian had to be the only person in the world who could have that sort of effect on Jack Malone. Because he had never – _ever_ – seen Jack back down for anyone anytime.

Jack sped up his pace and returned to his cell phone conversation with the coordinating agent. "Yeah, um, have them meet us at the warehouse in half an hour." He ended the call, dropping the cell back into his breast pocket.

Danny noted that while the presence of Viv may have thrown Jack off balance for the briefest seconds, just as quickly he was back in the game. It was something that Danny both admired as well as pitied. Because as much as he wished he could adopt that persona he also knew that Jack suffered the loss of a lot of personal relationships as a result.

As they boarded the elevator Danny made a mental promise to himself that if he got the job as SAC he would never put work above his family or friends. And then he briefly wondered if Jack had once said the same thing to himself.


	28. Chapter 28

XoXoXoX

"_Vengeance is a lazy form of grief." – Silvia Broome, 'The Interpreter'_

XoXoXoX

Chapter 28

XoXoXoX

"See anything?" Jack asked Danny. They were standing at the edge where the parking lot met the Hudson. He scanned the area hoping for some indication of what Louis Baird may have seen. So far there was nothing but some trash floating at the water's edge.

"Nope," Danny replied as he examined the railing. "What a minute, I have something." He leaned forward for a closer look and said, "I think we have blood."

Jack stepped closer and examined the bloody smear on the top rail. "Yeah, you're right." He yelled out for CSI techs to come photograph the scene.

"What do you have?" Agent Levy asked. He was the head of the forensics unit. He was a soft spoken, patient man who Jack often thought of as his direct opposite.

"Blood smears." He pointed to the area in question. "I'm not expert but it looks like someone was trying to hold on to the rail." Levy nodded as he knelt down to study the area more closely. Jack looked out onto the water and grimly said, "I guess the question is whether he couldn't hold on or if someone helped him let go."

Fifteen minutes later the entire parking lot was filled with police cars, FBI vehicles, the forensics van and government officials carefully scouring every inch of the area where Louis disappeared.

Jack looked over to see Danny talking to Marvin Wintermute who looked more irritated at the inconvenience of having his place of business being a crime scene versus actual concern for Louis. Jack's hand tingled with delight at the thought of slapping Marvin before turning around in time to see two divers push off one of the boats to go below and continue the search underwater.

For a reason he couldn't quite explain he found himself offer up a silent prayer that they wouldn't find Louis' body, that he was going to be found somewhere else alive and well. He felt a connection to Louis and his predicament. He saw both the man he used to be and the man he was. He considered Louis with his single life and workaholic attitude and understood how close he came to traveling that exact same road. There was a time in his life when he resigned himself to living out his remaining days as a bachelor. And he was okay with that right up until the day he met Elaine. He still found it to be a miracle that after nine years of marriage that she hadn't left him. He knew he could be dark and brooding but she was the first woman that was able to draw him into the light. And on the days she couldn't, she wasn't afraid to visit him in the darkness.

And then there was the job situation. He completely related to Louis not wanting to give up his work. He understood how over so many years that the job became an inextricable part of a man's identity. While he was doing his best to put on a brave face about retiring the hard truth was that he couldn't fathom the idea of not working as an FBI agent. To get up everyday and not be able to go out and help find someone, to save someone from harms way, and most importantly, arrest someone who purposely hurt another human being. How in the hell could he possibly be expected to leave that life behind? He knew that he could work other areas in the bureau but it would make him feel even more inadequate to sit idly by doing paperwork while other agents were out there serving justice.

There was no middle ground. When it comes to Jack Malone it has to be all or nothing. The problem was that sometimes his extremes were too extreme.

XoX

_He sat on the bench, far away from the crowd that was slowly dissipating as the interviews of witnesses were being wrapped up. He tried not to look at their faces, the righteous angry faces mingled with sad pitying glances. He still wasn't sure which one stung more. Just beyond the crowd was the young man he attacked being lifted into the back of the ambulance. Jack knew he hadn't hurt the man enough to warrant such elaborate EMT concern but he also knew that it was a necessary step in a lawsuit. _

_As soon as the ambulance drove off he looked away, focusing his attention on a group of pigeons flapping their wings as they each tried to assert dominance over a pile of discarded French fries. The chubbiest bird was able to shove a few away and began pecking at one of the fries. _

"_Hungry?" _

_He turned and saw Elaine standing a few feet away. As soon as he was able to get his emotions back under control the first call he placed was to Elaine, asking her to meet him at the park as soon as possible. _

_He shook his head and replied, "Jealous. I bet they don't worry about their cholesterol and blood pressure."_

"_I'm sure their wives still don't encourage them to eat that stuff," she replied, giving him a gentle smile as she sat down beside him. She looked over at the crowd of gawkers and police officers before softly asking, "Want to tell me what happened?" _

_He cleared his throat that was aching with emotion. "I lost it." He released a heavy breath and continued, "I'm just so mad. There is so much rage inside of me about what that bastard did to my daughter that I just, I just needed somewhere to focus it." He bit the inside of his cheek; trying really hard to not let his emotions overwhelm him again. "I honestly thought I was helping a woman, rescuing her from being attacked, but instead I just railed on her boyfriend because all I could see was the man who hurt Kate trying to hurt someone else."_

_Elaine didn't say anything, she simply reached over and took his hand in hers, giving it a tight squeeze. _

"_It's tearing me up inside," he continued, each word crossing his lips like shards of glass that cut and stung as they were being spoken aloud. "I am the guy who protects victims, who rescues people and helps them get justice either through their life or through their death. But when it comes to my daughter I am fucking useless." Despite his best efforts a single tear fell from his eye. "I let both my daughters down when they were kids and I am still letting them down. I always rationalized that I worked so hard to keep the bad guys off the street so I could protect them and the world they lived in but I didn't, did I? I failed them then and I am failing her now but not being able to find this son-of-a-bitch." _

_Elaine released her grip and grabbed his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "Don't you keep thinking that way, Jack Malone," she had tears in her eyes but her voice was one of fierce conviction. "Your daughters love you very much and you have not failed them. The only way you fail them is by punishing yourself by thinking that you are some sort of super hero with supernatural powers." She reached up, holding his face in her hands. "You couldn't do anything to prevent what happened, Jack. No more than you can stop the sun from rising or stop the snow from falling. You need to stop blaming yourself. It doesn't help you or Kate." She gently brushed her thumbs over his cheeks and finished, "She knows you are doing everything you can but she also knows that she needs her father more than she needs a vigilante." _

_He bit his lip as hard as he could, knowing that the pain would keep his emotions in check. He nodded his head, letting Elaine's words sink in as she enveloped him into a warm embrace. _

XoX

He heard a large splashing sound and looked out onto the water to see some frenzied action where the divers had emerged. He watched as the boat crew hurried to the side of the boat and began talking animatedly with one of the divers. He didn't have to hear what they were saying to know what they had found: Louis Baird's body.

"Agent Malone," Levy shouted as he ran over to where he stood.

"Yeah?" Jack replied, waiting expectantly for the final confirmation. "Let me guess, you found my missing person."

"Yes, we did," Levy replied breathlessly. "But we didn't just find him, we also found the body of a young woman."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

XoXoXoX

Martin parked the sedan at the far end, walking the short distance to the area cordoned off by the yellow crime scene tape. He flashed his badge at the officer who held up the ribbon so that he could duck underneath. He said thanks and glanced around, spotting Danny standing at the doorway to the manager's office talking to an older woman who was dabbing tears from her eyes with a wadded up tissue. Danny looked over, giving him a sad nod before pointing in the distance to where Jack was standing off to the side where two body bags were being moved from the boat to the gurneys waiting in the parking lot.

He slowly walked towards Jack. A short while earlier Jack called to tell him that they had pulled the body of a young woman out of the water. They found a backpack near the body and inside was her university ID card listing her name as Randi Nordland. In the span of a few hours his search for a missing girl turned into a murder investigation. Those types of cases were always difficult but made doubly so when someone you cared about had a personal connection.

XoX

_Martin hung up the phone, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He stood in the hallway outside his office and looked through the window to see Viv and his father sitting on the sofa talking. His father said something that actually made Viv's mouth curve up into a smile. He knew he couldn't put off the inevitable a moment longer so he opened his door and walked inside. _

"_Oh good, you're back," his father greeted him. "We were just thinking about ordering something to eat. You know I can't bear that airline food and Vivian here skipped her own lunch…" he stopped talking, recognizing the forlorn expression on Martin's face, "Son, is something wrong?" _

"_Yeah," Martin softly replied, pausing for a moment, to gather his words._

"_Martin?" Viv pressed; her voice equally measured in urgency and trepidation. _

_He sat down next to Viv on the sofa and carefully said, "I just got a call. Two bodies were pulled from the Hudson." He decided that he owed her enough to not mince words. "One of them has been positively identified as Randi." _

_Viv looked away but there was no mistaking by the hitch of her shoulders that she was overcome with emotion. He gently placed his hand on her back, in an attempt to comfort her._

_He shared a look with his father, who seemed clearly anguished by this turn of events. "You said that they found two bodies. Who is the other one?" _

"_His name is Louis Baird. He was a security guard at a marina warehouse," he explained, pulling his hand away from Viv when he noticed that she stiffened up, trying to compose herself. "We don't know what the connection is yet. I'm headed there now to find out more information." _

_She turned to face him, with tears in her eyes she asked, "The man that was killed, is the one that Jack's team was looking for?" He nodded. She took a deep breath as she started to stand up and said, "I'd like to go with you to the marina." _

_He reached out, placing his hand on her forearm to stop her. "I don't think that is a good idea." _

"_Martin, you can't shut me out now," she argued, her words determined but her voice was shaky. "I want to be there and help find out who did this to her."_

"_I know you do but I also know that given the delicate nature of your connection to Randi and the fact that she was helping you investigate the rape of Jack's daughter…well, there is just too much emotion involved in something already as emotional as this."_

"_I need to be a part of this Martin," she said with unwavering certainty. _

"_You will be as much as possible," he delicately replied. He hated to make her feel any worse than she was already feeling but he needed to make her understand. "But I need to keep some perspective as well as convince Jack to let me take over both the cases." He paused, knowing that now was the time to lay it all out for her. "And you need to know that once I tell him about why I was searching for Randi that he is going to want to be involved, too." _

_Viv snorted lightly. "Of course he would." _

"_Martin's right, Vivian," Victor contributed; his tone soft and compassionate. "You and Jack have a lot at stake in this investigation. If you really want to make sure that the guy who did this is brought to justice and prove Reggie's innocence than you need to let Martin do his job." _

"_I hate this," she grumbled, shaking her head. "I hate feeling useless, futile." _

"_You're not useless, Viv," he replied, hoping to convince her as best he could. "I am going to need your help but first I need to go talk to Jack on my own." _

"_Yeah, I know, you're right." She nodded and wiped some tears away from her eyes before facing him fully as she added, "But promise me you are going to do everything you can to find this guy. He's hurt too many people I loved to let him get away again."_

_He met her eyes and replied, "I promise." _

XoX

He managed to convince her to go home and wait for him to call her, saying that there wasn't much they could do until they gathered all of the information from the marina. It was a lot harder shaking his dad, though. Thankfully Van Doren invited him to join her for a late lunch so Victor happily wandered off to join her.

When he finally reached Jack the men exchanged sorrowful glances before getting to work. Martin's eyes were on the body bags being loaded into the waiting hearses as he asked, "What have we learned so far?"

When Jack didn't reply he finally looked up to see that he was watching him, a cool expression on his face. "Where's Vivian? I thought for sure she would be here."

"I thought it best to come alone," Martin calmly explained. "So, what have you learned?"

Jack hesitated a moment, clearly wanting more of an explanation but when he saw none was forthcoming he let it go. "The ME gave a preliminary exam. It looks like Randi was strangled. There are finger shaped bruises around her neck."

Martin looked over at the smaller of the two black vinyl encased bodies. "And Louis?"

"Blunt force trauma to the head." Jack's words were clinical but there was no mistaking the tone, it was like a low rumble of thunder. He nodded before walking over to the railing where several forensic agents were photographing the scene as Jack continued talking. "So I'm thinking that since the killer used different methods he brought Randi here for a body dump when Louis saw him and tried to intervene…"

"He had to get rid of him too," Martin finished. He looked out onto the water were a small boat was still circling the area where the bodies were found. "That was my guess, too."

"We also found her laptop in her backpack," Jack said, tucking his hands in his pants pockets. "The tech guys are going to take it back and dry it out so they can check out her hard drive." He cleared his throat. "So, are we working this one together?"

Martin hesitated. Even though for all accounts and purposes he and Jack were equals, he still felt like the man was his superior agent that he should defer to. But he also knew he needed to do what was right. He turned to face Jack and carefully replied, "I think I should take over both cases."

"Excuse me?" Jack coolly replied. "If this has to do with the OPR thing and my retirement…"

"No, it has nothing to do with that," he interjected, not wanting this to become a pissing match. "I just think it's important that someone with more objectivity be the lead agent. Randi was working with Viv investigating the rapes and she was following a possible lead when she disappeared."

"If you're right and the killer is connected to Kate's rape then there is no way in hell I am not going to be involved," Jack growled, folding his brawny arms over his barrel chest while leaning in and invading Martin's personal space.

"You have no choice," he replied, all too familiar with Jack's intimidation tactics. "You know as well as I do that this case is too personal."

"Don't you dare lecture me about making it personal," he rumbled, pointing his index finger at Martin's face. "When you witnessed that little boy's kidnapping I let you run the lead, when Danny's brother went missing I let him work it," his voice escalated into a threatening shout as he finished, "but now when it is my turn you are trying to push me out!"

He hated being on this end of Jack's wrath but he wasn't going to back down either. "This is different, Jack. We can't afford to have any errors or questions of ethics. You know as well as I do that the moment Van Doren finds out how these murders are connected to Kate, after all that has happened to you in the last few weeks, they are going to insist that you step back." He took a breath and in his most calming tone he added, "We can't let anything – not yours or even Viv's involvement – jeopardize this investigation."

Jack leaned in so close to his face that he could see pupils of his eyes. "Fuck Van Doren, I'm working this case whether you or her like it or not."

He brushed past Martin, bumping his shoulder against his, as he stormed off.

"Shit," Martin mumbled to himself before chasing after him. He caught up and got into step alongside Jack's stalking form. "Damn it, Jack, do you really want to risk the possibility that Kate's attacker could go free because you refused to follow protocol?"

Without slowing down he shook his head and replied, "It won't matter because I am going to kill the bastard the moment we find him."

"And that is exactly why you cannot be involved in this investigation."

Jack stopped abruptly, turning around to face him. "Damn it Martin! I want my team to solve this case, I need it."

Martin took a deep breath. He could see the desperation in Jack's eyes. He knew that if he were in Jack's shoes he would feel the exact same way but he also knew that he needed someone to keep him line. So he decided to try and find some middle ground. "Tell you what, if you want your team to solve this than trade me Danny, Sam and Paul for three of my guys. You know they will work the case harder than anyone else. Dawson can handle any new cases that come in so you can work with me as a consult or something." He tilted his head back and forth. "This way you can be involved but it all falls on me."

"You will keep me updated every step of the way?"

"Yes," he replied. "Just like Viv."

Jack lowered his eyes, focusing his gaze on the pavement beneath their feet as he considered the proposition. He gave a resolute sigh, looked up and said, "I guess we should head back and see if we can find anything on her laptop."

Martin nodded and jerked his head towards his car. "Come on, I'll drive."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

XoXoXoX

Viv lay down on her bed, a warm washcloth on her forehead, feeling more emotionally drained than she had in years. She was completely exhausted by the upheaval of the day. She felt more tears well up in her eyes as the harsh realization of Randi's death washed over her again. Her shoulders were already aching from the weight of her grief so she released a heavy breath and rolled onto her side as a memory of Randi appeared in her mind…

XoX

"_I'm so glad you like Indian food," Viv commented as she stirred her chai tea. Today the two women decided to meet for lunch at a restaurant rather than spend another afternoon in Viv's cramped office eating sandwiches or salads._

_Randi smiled as she sipped her mango lassi. "It's one of my favorite foods to eat. I love palak panner and jasmine rice." She put down her glass and reached over, picking up a piece of garlic naan. "One of our neighbors growing up was this really nice Indian family. They pretty much helped raise me and my sisters. I still visit them whenever I go home to visit." _

"_We've been so wrapped up in this case that I never even asked you about your family," Viv replied putting down her tea cup. "How many sisters do you have?" _

_Randi moved back so that the waiter could place their dishes on the table. The smell of curry was delicious pungent. Once the waiter was gone Randi replied, "I have two sisters, both younger. Jeanne is a senior in high school and captain of her swim team." She pushed her paneer around her plate with her fork. "My other sister, Lori, is just a year younger than me. She lives at home with my parents." She met Viv's eyes and finished, "She has Down's Syndrome so her options were a little more limited." _

_Viv's first instinct to was to say that she was sorry but she was wise enough to know that would sound entirely too patronizing. So she scooped up a forkful of rice and simply replied, "That must be hard." _

_She shook it off. "Not really. Lori is actually really independent. She works as an assistant at a local pet store. She loves animals." She took a bite of her food, chewing it thoughtfully. "She is so great. Funny, friendly and so caring."_

"_Are the two of you close?" Viv asked between mouthfuls of chicken masala. _

"_Definitely," she replied, taking another sip of her ice water. "It was hard moving here to go to college. I was so used to helping take care of her that I was really worried about who was going to look out for her." _

"_What do you mean?"_

"_She's so innocent and trusting. She loves to hug anyone who will let her and my parents worry that someone might take advantage of her," she replied, her voice tinged with anger. "It almost happened once. When I was thirteen I lost her in the mall and when I found her just as some guy was walking her outside. He tried to act like he was just trying to help her find me but even though I was just a teenager, I knew he was lying. There wasn't anyone around, like a police officer or anything so I just took her back inside to find our parents. By the time I did he was already gone." She snorted lightly and added, "Good thing, too. My dad was so furious he probably would have beaten him to death." _

"_She's very lucky she has you looking out for her."_

_Randi nodded; her expression pensive. "That's why I want to join the FBI. I want to help keep guys like that from hurting kids." She met Viv's eyes. "And that's why I want to help catch the university rapist. To help all of those women he hurt find some peace at knowing he can't hurt them or anyone else ever again." _

XoX

Tears starting spilling down Viv's cheeks again at knowing that Randi, who only wanted to help protect her sister and other girls, had been murdered by the man she was trying to help catch. The injustice of it all was twisting her gut in agony.

She sensed some movement beside her and opened her eyes to find Marcus setting a cup of tea on the nightstand.

"I thought you might want something to warm you up," he gently said, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her, gently caressing her arm.

"Thanks," she replied, glancing at the cup but not wanting a drink. "How's the paper grading going? Please tell me you don't have Henry doing all your work."

"Hey, he gets to eat some of your leftover roasted chicken and drink my imported beer. Grading paper's is the least he can do." He reached up and gently wiped some stray tears off her cheek. "I'm worried about you, babe."

She was touched by his concern but trying to be brave she replied, "I'm going to be fine. Worry about us catching this guy." He gave her a hard look, letting her know that he knew she was trying to be same old tough as nails Viv but was willing to let it slide – this time.

They shared a long lingering look when the doorbell buzzed.

"That could be Martin," Viv replied, sitting up. "He said he might drop by to talk once the autopsy report is done."

They wandered into the living room just as Henry exited the kitchen and started walking to the door. She waved him off saying that it was okay and one of them would answer it. She watched as Marcus got to the door first and opened it up to find Detective Schmid accompanied by two plain clothed detectives and three uniformed officers.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Marcus asked coolly, glancing quickly at her.

"We have a warrant to search the premises," Det. Schmid announced, handing Marcus the piece of paper and stepping into the living room.

Viv marched to where Marcus was standing and grabbed the papers out of his hand. "Under what grounds?"

"We received an anonymous tip," Det. Schmid replied as he gestured for the other officers to start conducting the search. They brushed past her just as Reggie emerged from the hallway.

"Mom? What's going on?" he asked, panic in his voice and fear in his eyes.

"They want to search the house," Viv angrily replied before she leaned in towards Marcus and said, "Go call Jesse right now."

Marcus quickly darted into the kitchen while Henry hovered nearby, looking worried and confused.

"What are they looking for?" Reggie asked, as he watched the officers staring at him accusingly.

"I don't know," Viv replied as she started reading through the warrant. "Just let them look, they're not going to find anything."

The two detectives went down the hall to Reggie's bedroom. Henry sat down on one end of the sofa, taking in the scene around him looking as startled as they all were. She hated this feeling, their home being tossed like they were common criminals in front of a young man her husband was mentoring. She could only imagine what he would tell his friends back at school.

But now was not the time to worry about their reputation so much as the safety of their son's life.

"Jesse is on his way," Marcus said as he reappeared from the kitchen. He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed her tightly. "What does the warrant say?"

"According to this they got a tip that there was evidence here pertaining to the rape of a girl a few months ago." She lowered the paper when she heard the two detectives coming back up the hallway. She saw that they were holding something in their hand and it made her stomach drop.

Det. Schmid walked up to Reggie and held up a gold chain with a dangling diamond studded heart. "Can you explain where you got this?"

Reggie looked at the jewelry, panic on his face. "I swear to God I don't know how that got here."

"So you recognize it?" the detective asked. He had a self-righteous smug look on his face and Viv wanted to slap it off but she was too anxious about what Reggie was going to say.

"Yeah, but…" Reggie began before she stepped forward and held up her hand.

"Don't say another word," she ordered her son. "Don't say a thing until Jesse gets here."

"Call up your lawyer and tell him to go downtown," the detective said as another officer handcuffed her son. "Reggie Johnson, you are under arrest…"

"But I swear I didn't do anything," Reggie pleaded. "Mom, you have to believe me!"

Viv walked up to Reggie and placed her hands on both sides of his cheeks. "I know you didn't son. I will get you out of this. Just remember do not say anything without your lawyer."

The detective pulled Reggie back and led him down the hallway as he continued reading him his rights. Her son kept turning back to look at her, looking more scared than she had ever seen him in her life.

He looked as terrified as she felt.

Tears formed in Viv's eyes as she watched her only child being escorted down the hall by the police. Marcus stood behind her and placed by his hands on her shoulders and she knew that he felt just as powerless as she felt.

"Det. Schmid?" a uniformed officer asked, carrying the graduation box Viv had looked through just a few months before in search of Reggie's frat sign. "We also found some other items that might interest you."

The officer held up a butterfly pendant and a leather-bound notebook. Viv recognized the notebook immediately. It was Randi's.

The officer tilted the box so Schmid could look inside and asked, "So what do you think? Do you want the whole box confiscated?"

Schmid had a look of vindication on his face as he replied, "I want everything."

"What a minute," Viv interjected. "You found the necklace in that box?" The detective didn't reply but just the look in his eyes was confirmation enough. "There is no way that stuff could have been in that box."

"Mrs. Johnson, no offense but you are his mother and can hardly be objective," Schmid replied with condescention.

"And you seem hell bent on vilifying my son and not willing to listen to anything or anyone who just wants to get to the truth," she replied through gritted teeth.

"I know what the truth is and once I give the DA enough evidence to go to trial soon the whole world will, too." He worked his tongue into his cheek, giving them a once over before turning around and exiting the apartment.

She watched him walk away as some of the other officers' carted boxes from down the hall. She could hear the sounds of Reggie's room being tossed by the police looking for more incriminating evidence. Not able to bear it a moment longer without doing something she turned around and rushed into the kitchen, grabbing the cordless phone and frantically dialing.

Marcus followed her in and asked, "What are you doing?"

With shaky fingers and a racing heart she replied, "I'm calling Martin. This is completely wrong and we need someone on our side who believes us and can really do something to help Reggie."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

XoXoXoX

Martin stood at the one-way window looking inside the interview room. Reggie was sitting inside waiting to be interviewed, biting his nails nervously, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, and his right leg bouncing up and down under the table. There was no doubt about it: he looked scared. Martin shook his head, sighing heavily, thinking how at each step in this case things went from bad to worse and wondered when and if things were going to turn in their favor.

A few hours earlier he was sitting in his office reading through Randi's autopsy report, his father laying down on his sofa napping. Despite his father's zest in wanting to help with the case he was still a man in his seventies who got exhausted fairly easily. He had just finished reading the coroner's report that it appeared she was killed sometime between nine thirty and eleven pm. They found bits of skin under her fingernails and the lab was running tests to see if it could be matched to any known felons. He had just reached the section about the fact that there were no signs of sexual trauma when he got the call from Viv that Reggie had been arrested.

After he got the full update, he assured her that he would take care of it. He called Danny to meet him at the elevator, woke up his dad and then the three of them headed to the police station. On the way there they tried to think of how they could get Reggie out of NYPD's jurisdiction. That's when the benefit of having his dad around paid off. Victor conducted a few well placed phone calls to some higher ups arranging it so that the murder investigation being conducted by the FBI was given first priority and they be allowed to take Reggie into custody. Something that made Det. Schmid very unhappy…

XoX

_Without even pausing long enough to knock, Martin opened the door and walked into the interrogation room with Danny just in time to see Det. Schmid leaning in towards Reggie with his hand on the back of the back of the young man's neck, squeezing hard. _

"_Who the hell are you?!" Det. Schmid shouted, angered at the interruption of his tactics to exact a confession. He released his hold on Reggie and continued yelling, "Who let you in here?"_

_He held up his badge and barked, "We're Special Agents Martin Fitzgerald and Danny Taylor." He watched as Danny moved towards Reggie and uncuffed him from the table. "We're transporting Reggie Johnson to the federal building. He is the primary suspect in a murder investigation stemming from the search of a missing person. We understand that you discovered a leather notebook in his possession when you arrested him that belonged to our victim. We're taking him to our office for questioning." _

_Det. Schmid turned and placed a firm grip on Reggie's shoulder, forcing him back down into the chair. "The hell you are! I have already arrested him on a series of rapes." _

_Danny shoved Schmid's hand away and pulled Reggie into a sitting position. "Murder trumps rape and he's ours." _

_Schmid snorted and asked, "Under whose authority?" _

"_The federal government, the district attorney's office, the police chief, and the mayor," Martin replied as he blocked Schmid's path so Danny could escort Reggie out of the small room. _

"_We can get the governor's too if you need it." Victor supplied. _

_Martin looked over to see that his father completely ignored his orders to wait in the lobby and was now hovering in the doorway, peering inside. _

"_This is total bullshit," the detective growled; his face red with anger as he pointed to the doorway where Danny and Reggie exited. "I've been chasing this guy for almost a year!" _

"_I appreciate how much you have invested in this case and I assure you that when this is over I will make sure that you receive a commendation…" Victor replied. Martin cringed internally that his father still insisted on using bureaucracy as a means to resolve conflict. He knew he meant well but he was just making things worse and not better. _

"_Fuck that, I want that guy nailed to the wall," Schmid spat back. He looked over at Martin and asked, "So, Mr. FBI, did Reggie's mama call you up to come get her boy? Is that how you found out? Exactly whose side are you on here?"_

"_I'm on the side of justice," Martin coolly replied. He could completely understand Schmid's anger but he also knew that he couldn't leave Reggie here either. He needed to do as much damage control as possible until the case was solved. "And yes, I know Vivian Johnson and she is my friend." He paused and met Schmid's gaze. "And so is Jack Malone, Kate's father. Believe me, I want this mess figured out as soon as possible, too." _

_Thinking he was done, Martin gently guided his father out of the interview room when Det. Schmid called him back. He turned around and replied, "Yeah?"_

"_How did you know that there was a leather notebook in the box? We haven't even cataloged all the evidence yet?" Schmid said, looking excited by this new development. Martin could almost see an incandescent light bulb flicker over the detective's head. "The only way you would know is if Mrs. Johnson had told you and if she did that means she recognized the notebook…" he stepped closer, his voice and accusing, "Which means that she knows her son is guilty." _

_Martin swallowed. "I think we're done here."_

_He turned to exit when Schmid held out his arm, blocking him. "You can have him for now but don't you dare think I'm done with this investigation. I'm going to prove that your friend's baby boy is just pulling the wool over his mama's eyes." Refusing to be intimidated by Schmid's bullying Martin just fixed his eyes on the detective's and waited. After a beat, Schmid dropped his arm, letting Martin pass. As he followed his dad, Danny and Reggie down the hall the detective shouted, "I know he's a rapist and I am going to prove it!"_

XoX

He heard some footsteps headed his way and he looked over to see Sam and Danny.

"Hey," Sam greeted him as she walked up with Danny. "I just got a call from downstairs. Reggie's lawyer is on his way up."

"Good," he said, glancing at her. It was funny how just her presence could make him feel better.

"How's he doing?" Danny asked, jutting his chin towards Reggie.

Martin folded his arms and replied, "He's scared but I would be too if I was accused of four rapes and two murders."

"I can't even believe this is happening," Sam commented, standing alongside him and looking in at Reggie.

"I don't think anyone of us can." Danny replied as he moved to stand on the other side of her, the three of them reflected in the window pane.

With her eyes still on Reggie she said, "Viv and Marcus are in your office with your dad."

"I'm surprised she's not here demanding to talk to him," he replied, leaning in closer to Sam. In a way that he couldn't explain he just needed to be able to feel her warmth near his body even though it was through layers of clothes. The only way he could describe it is if he were Linus she would be his "security blanket."

"She is," Sam replied, thoughtfully biting her lower lip. She tilted her head to look at him. "I convinced her that we need to do this by the book which means we need to talk to Reggie first."

"Thanks," he replied, reaching up and placing the palm of his hand on her back.

"Agents?" He turned around to see Jesse Burnell, Reggie's lawyer, walking down the hall towards them with an agent from downstairs. "Where is my client?"

"Right this way," Danny replied, escorting Jesse into the interview room.

Martin started to follow when he spotted a very angry looking man headed his way. He told Danny to wait for him, that he'll be inside in a minute and hurried to run interference. "Where do you think you're going, Jackl?"

"I'm going to go have myself a little conversation," he replied, trying to shove past.

Martin grabbed his arm to slow him down and said, "That's not a good idea."

Jack spun on his heels and using his burly form, leaned in and fumed, "He had trophies from every single one of his victims!"

"That's why I need to get him to trust me and talk," Martin replied, fully prepared to butt heads with Jack Malone if that's what it took to make him understand. "You shouldn't be here for this, go back to your office and I will…"

"No way," Jack growled. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"If you so much as step a foot in that interview room, I will have you removed from this investigation entirely," he replied, his voice a low threat. There was a part of him that thought Jack was being irrational and out of control but there was also a part of him that was a father, who had a little girl at home and knew that if the situation were reversed he would want the same thing. He worked his jaw before adding, "You can observe but that's it."

"Sure, whatever," Jack replied, clearly irritated that he was being treated like a junior agent but appreciating the fact that he didn't have to leave.

As Martin headed back to the interview room he stopped and whispered to Sam. "Make sure he doesn't go in."

She nodded and he went inside to conduct an interview knowing that the outcome could very well ruin the lives of two of his friends and their families forever.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

XoXoXoX

Danny lingered near the door as Reggie and Jesse chatted quietly together. He leaned his back against the wall and watched them, wondering how he was here now preparing to interview a boy he pretty much saw grow up on rape and murder charges. The same boy that one confided in him about his early women woes…

XoX

_Danny knocked on Reggie's bedroom door and waited until the young man shouted it was okay to come inside. He turned the doorknob and entered. Reggie was sitting at his desk staring at the computer screen as the jazzy rap song "Hate It or Love It" filled the room. The bass set so high Danny could feel each beat vibrate off his skin. _

"_Hey," he said loudly, hoping to be heard above the din of the music. _

"_Hey," Reggie mumbled, not bothering to look over at him. _

_At fifteen years old Reggie was at that awkward stage in his life where he had so many emotions and feelings battling his raging hormones that the only way he could deal with them was to be sullen and angry. Couple that with peer pressures, he was driving his parents crazy. Which is why Danny was here right now. Reggie was caught shoplifting a bottle of Pucker Apple Liquor and he flat out refused to talk to his parents about it. So Viv called him and asked him to have a 'sit down' with her son because she thought he might be able to relate to Reggie and get him to open up. Maybe help them understand why he is so intent on acting out. _

_Danny sat down at the edge of the bed and glanced around the bedroom at the posters of scantily clad women next to sports cars, rappers, and other things that he knew were uniquely teen oriented but couldn't identify. _

"_What are you doing here?" Reggie asked at last, lowering the music just a little bit before spinning around in his chair to look where Danny sat. "Did my mom call you?"_

_He leaned forward, legs spread and elbows resting on his knees. "So you wanna tell me what happened? I've been told I'm a great listener." _

_Reggie stood up and walked over to his bookshelf and pulled out a stack of CDs. He started flipping through them and said, "I already told my parents I won't do it again." _

_He nodded and replied, "I think they're just curious why you did it in the first place."_

_Finding the CD he wanted he put the rest of the stack back. "What does it matter?" _

_Danny watched Reggie as he went back to his computer and inserted the CD into the drive. "It matters. Everyone has their own reasons for doing what they do." He glanced over at Reggie and said, "I used to steal booze all the time because they wouldn't sell it to eleven year olds." He laughed bitterly. "Of course, it wasn't like I had any money to buy some even if they did." _

_Reggie looked over at him thoughtfully. "My mom told me that you are in AA." _

"_Yup," he replied before shifting to a more comfortable position on the bed. "I've been sober for over a decade but I still miss it. That craving never goes away." He paused, as both the desire for a drink revisited his taste buds at the same time the empty feeling he got from it appeared. He knew he had his own long list of reasons that he drank but he was supposed to be here to talk about Reggie, not himself. "Vodka was my drink of choice. Real vodka, not that flavored stuff they sell today." _

"_I don't like vodka," he replied quietly. _

"_Then why steal a bottle? Of Pucker's Apple nonetheless?" He narrowed his eyes at Reggie and smiled, "I thought only girls drank that stuff." When the teenager refused to meet his eyes he knew he was onto something. "Or is that what this is really all about? Did you steal that bottle for a girl?" _

_Reggie finally looked up, a definite look of embarrassment on his face. _

_Danny tried not to laugh but it managed to escape anyway. Reggie looked away ashamed so he quickly stood up and pat the boy on the back before leaning against the wall. "Look, Reg, every man on this planet has done something stupid to impress a girl. I once wore a pair of acid wash jeans because Gina Carrasco told me they were sexy." _

_He laughed._

"_So who's the girl?" he asked, liking that the newfound levity. _

"_Jessikha Washington," Reggie replied, focusing on the playlist that was on the computer monitor. "She's a senior at my school." _

"_An older woman," he playfully teased. "So did you take it to give her as a gift?" _

"_She asked me to get it for her," he replied. He started rearranging the song order as he continued talking, "She was supposed to wait at the corner but when I came out and the store manager followed me she just walked off like she didn't even know me."_

_Danny tried to console him, understanding how fragile the teenage boy ego could be. "She was probably scared."_

"_I called her when I got home. She just laughed like it was so funny." Reggie's lip quivered and shakily said, "And then she told me that she was on her way to a party and she'd just see me around school. She didn't even ask me if I got in trouble or if I was okay. She just wanted to use me to get some booze."_

_Danny nodded his head sadly. "Than you learned two hard lessons today. One is to never steal and the other is to only take risks for someone you know is worth it." _

XoX

Danny glanced at the doorway as Martin entered the interview room. He couldn't help but notice that his friend looked slightly bristled, his eyes quickly darting to his reflection in the one-way mirror. He followed his gaze and guessed that Jack was on the other side, watching Reggie critically and angrily. He chanced a comforting look aimed at the glass before sitting down at the table to focus on Reggie and his lawyer, Jesse Burnell.

Martin sat down next to Danny, dropping a file onto the table. "So, Reggie, let's just start at the beginning okay?"

"My client if fully prepared to cooperate," Jesse interjected, looking cool and righteous. "Within reasonable parameters of his Miranda rights, of course."

Danny shared a look with Martin at the obvious lawyer tactic that knew all too well after years of working in law enforcement. Nodding at the lawyer he asked Reggie, "Where were you last night around eight pm?"

Reggie swallowed and shakily replied, "I was at the university library."

Danny's stomach dropped at the revelation that Reggie freely admitted to being at the very place where Randi was last seen alive.

It clearly took his lawyer off guard as well. He scooted his chair back and said, "I advise my client to not answer any more questions until I have time to talk to him in private."

Reggie shook his head. "No, it's okay, they're my mom's friends and if she trusts them than I do, too." He gave them a sad look and finished, "I know I didn't do anything and I don't have anything to hide."

"Where in the library?" Martin asked evenly, no trace of reaction to Reggie's disclosure.

He licked his lips and replied, "I was in the art history section."

"Art history?" Danny repeated, trying to conceal his fears that everything was continuing to point to Reggie as the rapist and murderer. "What for?"

For the first time since they picked up Reggie from the NYPD precinct the young man looked remotely at ease. "I go there to read up on Architectural history. It relaxes me."

Martin leaned forward, resting his clasped hands on the table. "Can anyone verify that?"

"It's my understanding that you already have the security footage from the library's security system," Jesse commented. "I'm sure you can just look through them and see my client is being completely honest."

"We intend to," Martin coolly replied. "But I'd like to hear it from Reggie first."

Jesse acquiesced and nodded for Reggie to answer. In a small hesitant voice he replied, "No, I don't think so. I was in the back corner, out of sight."

"Why?" Danny asked. It seemed strange that he would admit to purposely trying to hide.

"After the media stuff and the allegations against me I try to keep a low profile. I saw that there were people there for the Greek meeting and my mom told me to keep away from frat stuff until this is cleared up," Reggie explained. There was no mistaking the sorrow in his expression as he continued, "So I tried to avoid anyone I know spotting me by staying as far away from others as possible."

"What time did you leave?"

Reggie bit his lip and glanced over at Jesse. He leaned in close to his lawyer and the two men shared some hushed whispers between themselves before the young man looked up at them and said, "I left around the same time the frat meeting ended."

Danny did his best to restrain an eye roll as he asked, "If you were trying to avoid them why would you leave the same time?"

"It wasn't intentional," Reggie countered. "They just started leaving when I did, I couldn't help it."

XoX

_Reggie sat at a small desk in the corner of the reading room. He was wearing jeans, sneakers, and his NYU hoody. Not having to work equaled not having to bother wearing the suits anymore. He glanced at his watch and looked around, the library relatively quiet. He closed his book, "Architecture of Bart Prince," and replaced it on the bookshelf. Normally he could sit and read books like this for hours on end but tonight he was anxious, antsy. His life was changing at lightening fast pace lately and today he felt like he just couldn't keep up. _

_He wandered through the shelves, his eyes idly glancing at titles his vaguely recognized before deciding that the rows and rows of books were suddenly making him feel claustrophobic. He needed air. _

_He started to the exit and was almost there when the adjacent doors swung open and he saw that the frat meeting was letting out. Not wanting to be seen he pulled the hood over his head, drew the string in tightly, and rushed out the door, unseen in the crowd of excited frat brothers and sorority sisters. _

XoX

Martin sighed heavily next to him as he asked, "Then where did you go?"

"I was supposed to meet up with a friend around midnight," he carefully replied. "I didn't want to go home so I just walked around the city until it was time."

Danny glanced over at Martin who looked equally worried that with each answer Reggie was painting himself as their number one suspect. With each reply another piece of the puzzle was falling into place. He leaned forward and asked, "Why not just go home?"

Reggie snorted lightly. "I'm living with my parents, there's no privacy. I like having as much alone time as possible when I can."

Danny rubbed his hand over his face, frustrated by how easy it would be to arrest Reggie right now. Not only was there enough circumstantial evidence but add in the items found in his bedroom at home it was practically a slam dunk. The only saving grace Reggie had at this point is that they were friends of his mother's and wanted to believe he was innocent as much as she did.

"The thing is the timeline doesn't work Reggie," Martin said, his gaze fixed on Reggie's fearful face. "The last time anyone saw Randi is the same time that you left the library. She was killed at ten and her body dumped around eleven, giving you plenty of time to go back and meet your friend." His voice raised an octave as he slammed his fist on the table and demanded, "You have to give us a reason to believe it isn't you!

"I know how this looks but I didn't do anything!" Reggie shouted back, almost rising up out of his chair.

"Then explain how that stuff ended up in your room," Martin growled back, agitated.

"I don't know. I haven't even opened that box in years!" Reggie replied, holding his hands up unsure. "My mom is the only one who even knew where it was!"

"This doesn't look good for you at all, Reggie," Martin replied, shaking his head. Danny knew Martin well enough to know that his friend was really hoping that Reggie would give them more to work with, a reason to believe him other than just than faith that Viv's son would be innocent of such violent crimes.

"Who's your friend that you met up with?" Danny asked, his words like a knife slicing through the tension.

Reggie hesitated. "Why do you need to know?

"Because we need to know!" he snapped back.

It's uh," Reggie paused, glancing at the one-way mirror. He licked his lips worriedly and finished, "It's Hanna Malone."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

XoXoXoX

Jack was already half way around the corner with Samantha hot on his heels, protesting that he had couldn't go inside when Martin and Danny emerged from the interview room, blocking his path. Sam walked around him, standing between Danny and Martin, another body in the human barricade.

"Get the hell out of my way," he ordered, fully prepared to ram his way through if need be.

"You can't go in there," Martin barked back – looking equally determined. "You need to turn around and go back to your office to cool down and let us do our job."

"That son of bitch hurt one of my daughters and now he is pulling the wool over Hanna's eyes," he growled, stepping close, invading the other agents' personal spaces. "He has no business talking to her much less using her as his alibi!"

"Look, Jack, there is no way you are going to risk this investigation by talking to Reggie," Martin replied, trying to sound calming but it failed miserably because there was no mistaking the irritation in his voice. "Or doing anything else you might have in mind."

Jack opened his mouth to argue when he heard a small voice behind him. "Dad?"

He spun around to see Hanna standing in the hallway with one of the escorting agents from downstairs. She looked nervous, shifting from foot to foot and her eyes watching the scene unfolded.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, dumb founded by her timely appearance.

"I thought someone might need to talk to me about Reggie's alibi," she carefully replied.

He stepped up to her and said, "We need to talk, right now."

Without even giving her or anyone else a chance to talk, he grabbed her by the arm and guided her to a nearby empty office. She walked in ahead of him, moving to stand near the window as he closed the door behind him.

The energy between them was thick with stress and unease as he asked, "How could you do this to your sister?"

"I didn't do anything to anyone – at least not the way you are implying," she countered, folding her arms across her chest. She met his eyes and breathed, "And Kate already knows. We've talked about it."

He glared at her. "So you had a nice little chat with your sister telling her that you and her could be rapist are best buddies?"

She looked at him, wounded by his words. "I couldn't keep it a secret from her – not anymore."

"So is it just me you didn't think it was important to tell?" he snapped. He couldn't believe that his daughter would betray the family by carousing with the enemy. "I mean, for God's sake Hanna, he probably is just trying to use you as cover."

"He isn't," she replied determinedly.

He huffed out an angry breath and asked, "How can you be so sure?"

She sighed heavily and her shoulders slumped. "Because I'm the one who made the first contact…"

XoX

_Hanna entered the café and placed her order to go. As she waited she spotted a familiar figure sitting in a booth in the corner: Reggie. He hadn't noticed her enter, too engrossed in the newspaper. She could have left and he wouldn't have even known she was there but before she could contemplate on it too long she somehow found herself standing at his table. _

_She saw he was working on the crossword puzzle. She pointed to the five empty squares and said, "Thirteen across is Moira." _

_He looked up at her, startled by her presence as if she had appeared out of thin air. "Huh, what…?" _

_She smiled down at him and pointed to the puzzle. "Thirteen across, 'one of the goddesses of fate' is Moria." _

"_What are you doing here?" Reggie eyed her worriedly, looking around the restaurant before looking back at her. _

"_I saw you sitting here and I wanted to talk to you," she replied, giving him a sheepish smile. She pointed to the empty seat across from him and asked, "Mind if I sit down?" before sliding into the booth, not bothering to wait for him to reply. He studied her for a beat before closing his newspaper and setting it down next to him. "How are you doing?"_

_He released a heavy audible sigh and said, "Hanna, what are you doing? You shouldn't be talking to me much less sitting with me in a restaurant." He folded his arms, shoving his hands under his armpits. It was a defensive gesture she knew well. _

"_Well, it's too late," she answered him, undeterred. "And I'm guessing by your answer things are not going well."_

"_Other than being accused of crimes I didn't commit, losing my job, constantly worrying about my mom's health and everyone I know treating me like I have the black plague I'm fine," he replied bitterly before checking himself. He sighed and asked, "How's Kate?"_

_Hanna took a deep breath and quietly replied, "She's…dealing. We're all trying to be there for her." She scratched an itch on her arm and finished, "But she's really strong so we are all praying that she's going to be able to heal – physically and emotionally."_

_He nodded sadly. "It must be really hard for her. It's a good thing she has you and your family," he lowered his eyes, focusing on his cup of coffee as he said, "I want to call her but…"_

"_But it would be a bad idea right now," she finished. "Yeah, especially with my dad on the war path."_

_He gave her a forced smile and said, "I always thought your dad was a little scary when he just came over for dinner," he fiddled with his coffee cup, "Right now the thought of him alone puts the fear of God in me."_

"_I know he can be a force to reckon with but believe me, he's really human underneath it all." She shook her head knowingly and said, "I think his anger is just because he feels guilty. That and sad." _

"_Maybe you should go," he said, although by the sound of his voice he didn't really mean it. "Your dad wouldn't want you here talking to me."_

"_You know better than anyone I don't always do what my dad wants," she replied. She gave him a soft look and said, "Besides, I think maybe you could use a friend right now."_

_He gave her a penetrating look and replied, "There was a time I thought we were going to be more than friends."_

"_Me too," she breathed. For a few months so many years ago they shared an intense love affair. She had never been with someone who she both knew so well and yet was still a constant surprise to her. It was intense, passionate, and regrettably short lived. She reached over, taking his hand in hers. "But we agreed when we had, what we had, that it was just short term. You were in school here and I wanted to go to the southwest. That's why we never told anyone."_

_He squeezed her hand. "I know what we agreed to but I really missed you when you left."_

"_I missed you, too," she said with a smile, squeezing his hand back. They were quiet for a beat when she playfully said, "Of course I also heard that you became quite the player after I left."_

_He laughed lightly. "None of them compared to you." His cell phone rang and he picked it up, looking at the caller ID before setting it back down, ignoring it. She gave him a questioning look and he said, "Since that story came out I have had countless calls from reporters wanting to talk to me. My lawyer told me to let them talk to him first, so he can screen them." He reached over and put his other hand over their clasped hands. "I promise you, Hanna, I didn't hurt Kate. I would never hurt her or any other woman ever."_

_She stared into his eyes and replied, "I know you didn't."_

"_How can you be so sure, why do you believe me?" he asked, surprised by her faith. _

_She leaned forward, not breaking eye contact and relied, "Because it's you."_

XoX

"We started seeing each other more and more after that. We'd go to the movies, museums, or he'd help me with my show," she finished. "With everything that was going on we decided to just keep it to ourselves because…"

"It was wrong," he supplied.

"I don't think it is wrong," she fiercely replied, not backing down.

"You must have known it was wrong or you would have told me," he countered, giving her a cold hard look.

But Hanna was like him in so many ways so she just matched his gaze and replied, "We didn't think you could handle it. Especially since the thing in the park and the IA investigation."

"So you just thought you'd wait until I find out when he is arrested for rape and murder?"

She stepped forward and shouted, "He didn't do any of this. He's being set up."

"They found evidence in his home! He admits to being at the library where the last victim was seen, he was the last one to see Kate, he's connected to all of the victims…exactly how much more evidence do you need?" he spat back.

"I know how it looks," she said softly, her hand clutching her shirt where her heart rested underneath, "but I know in my heart that he is innocent."

He snorted, furious that his daughter could be so naïve. "What is it with him that he manages to fool every woman he meets?"

"I'm not stupid, dad. Do you really think that if I honestly thought there was a cell in my body that had any doubts that he hurt my sister I would date him?

He pounded his fist on the table and yelled, "Damn it, Hanna! What are you thinking? How can you be so stupid?"

"Dad, I love him," she replied.

"He's fooling you, Hanna," he warned. "And if you know what's good for you, you will stay as far away from him as possible."

He started walking to the door when she gave him a hard look and replied, "And if you know what's good for you, you will be very careful with him until this mess is cleared up and he is proven innocent."

"Don't tell me what to do," he snapped back, his hand on the doorknob. "Why should I treat him any better than I do any other suspect in an investigation?"

"Because he's the father of your grandchild," she replied. He stopped what he was doing, staring back at her in disbelief. With sad eyes she said, "I'm sorry, dad. This isn't how I wanted to tell you but I'm pregnant and Reggie is the father."

He stared at her in disbelief, not knowing how to process what she just told him. Everything around him suddenly felt so wrong, so unsure and uncertain. So not knowing what to make of what Hanna told him he just turned away from her and walked out.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

XoXoXoX

Viv paced the length of Martin's office, her nerves wound tight. Normally his office seemed spacious but when she was in her umpteenth lap across his floor it never felt like a smaller room in her life. She felt like a caged lioness, anxious to go out into the jungle of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and defend her cub.

She glanced over at Marcus who was staring straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts as he was nervously wringing his hands together. She wished she could conjure up some words of comfort for her husband's benefit but her mind was too focused on how the interrogation was going. She trusted Martin and Danny to do right by her son but she also knew that the bottom line was that Reggie was suspect number one and the evidence was stacked against him.

Martin's telephone rang and she looked over to see Victor answer the call. "Fitzgerald." She kept her eyes trained on Victor, wondering the call had anything to do with the case when his tone softened and he said, "Hello Frances. No, Martin and Samantha aren't here right now." He was quiet for a beat, listening to whatever Frances was telling him so Viv turned away and continued wearing a track on Martin's carpet. "I'll pass on the message. Put one of my grandkids on the phone. Hey, Nate buddy, this is granddad."

She tuned him out, concentrating on her pacing, occasionally looking out the window of the office hoping for some sign of Martin, Sam or Danny. It was killing her to not know how the interview was going. She released a heavy frustrated sigh. She knew that she promised Sam that she would stay put but she just couldn't wait a moment longer.

She glanced at Victor who was still preoccupied with his conversation with his grandchildren and walked over to the door.

"Where are you going?" Marcus asked, perplexed.

Victor asked Grace to hold and piped in, "Something going on?"

"All those cups of coffee caught up with me," she replied. She wanted to tell Marcus what she had planned but she also knew he would want to go too. But if they both left Victor would get suspicious and she needed to keep an edge. "I'm just going to the ladies room. I'll be right back."

Victor nodded and returned to his phone call while Marcus eyed her curiously as she exited the office.

The walk down the hall was so familiar she could have gone there blindfolded. She knew that they wouldn't be happy to see her intervene this way but as the saying goes, "It's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission."

She turned down the hallway that led to the interview rooms when she ran into someone she had hoped to avoid until this mess was cleared up: Jack.

He exited one of the nearby offices, a look of restrained rage in his features, as he stalked down the hall in her direction. He spotted her and for a split second she halted in her tracks, startled by his appearance before trying to ignore him and walk past.

She almost thought he was going to give her the courtesy of returning the favor before he moved over, blocking her path.

She huffed and gave him a steely look. "Excuse me."

He shook his head and in a chilly voice replied, "Excuse you for what? For ruining both of my daughter's lives?" She tried stepping past but he moved to obstruct her path again. "Exactly what are you asking me to excuse you for?"

"Get out of my way, Jack," she growled. She did not need this, not now.

"Your son's life isn't the only affected by all of this," he continued, his tone increasing in anger. "Kate hasn't slept a night through since it happened. She dropped out of school and almost never leaves the house. She used to be vital and independent and now she can't stand being alone in the house. When she is alone she locks herself in her bedroom."

Viv pushed her way past him. Each of his words like daggers stabbing into her mind and heart. She adored Kate and she hated that the young woman was going through so much pain but she also knew that her son didn't do this and he was her main priority.

He grabbed her arm, continuing his verbal assault. "One night I came home and she had holed herself up in the bathroom, clutching a knife to defend herself because she heard some weird noises coming from the alley."

"Stop it, Jack," she shouted, yanking her arm free. "I am very sorry about Kate. I cannot imagine what she is going through but you are focusing your anger on the wrong man. My son didn't do anything to Kate. Nothing!"

"What about Hanna? Are you sorry for what your son has done to her?" he seethed.

She was taken aback by his words and with shaking hands and an unsteady voice she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Your son has been messing with my daughter," he roared, each of his words dripping with venom. "He has her fooled and now..."

"Now what?" she dared, her heart racing and her palms starting to sweat. "And now she knows he's innocent but you are too much of a damn fool to believe it?"

"I don't think my daughter should be associating with him, much less…" he trailed off, refusing to finish the sentence.

"Much less date him?" she evenly replied. She immediately noticed that by the look in his eye he was surprised she knew. "I hope they are dating. It means that not all the Malone's are too much of damn fools to see the truth right in front of their eyes." She sneered and added, "Maybe you need to take a lesson from your daughter. She knows the truth and is not so stubborn to look for a criminal where there isn't one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She leaned in, her pulse racing and her heart thundering in her chest as she felt her anger rising, wanting to match his. It felt good to have a target for all her rage. "Take another walk in the park, Jack."

He stepped forward, towering over her. "You better hope that your son is innocent because if Martin proves he is the rapist he is going to have a lot more to worry about than just going to jail." She felt her knees sway at the vehemence of his words. "Because I just saw his interview and he is looking more and more like the rapist. So you better prepare yourself Vivian, because…"

She didn't hear what his next words were because her chest grew tight and the world around her started to spin out of control as she tumbled downward before hitting the floor.

She looked up to see the look of shock register in Jack's face and somewhere in the distance she heard Martin's voice shout her name. She closed her eyes as she tried to breathe, a crushing feeling on her chest.

"Viv?"

She opened her eyes and saw Martin looking down at her, cradling her head in his arms. She could hear her blood rushing through her veins and the gasping sounds of her labored breathing as he shouted for someone to call an ambulance. She looked over to see Danny shoving Jack down the hall as Martin murmured, "Helps on the way, Viv, stay with me…you're going to be okay…you're going to be okay…"


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

XoXoXoX

Martin rode up the elevator back to the twelfth floor after helping make sure Viv was loaded into the ambulance. His heart was still racing and hands were still shaking from the panic of seeing Viv collapse. He had so much invested in her health that every stumble she took in her life affected him on a very personal level. He wanted to go with her to the hospital but she was insistent that he stay and work the case.

XoX

_The EMTs placed an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth so she was able to breathe easier as they pushed her on the gurney into the elevator. It was cramped quarters with two EMTs, the gurney, Marcus and himself but he wasn't about to let her out of his sight. _

_Marcus held onto Viv's hand, whispering that she was going to be fine as the EMTs took her stats, logging them down on their clipboard. _

_Viv lowered her mask and one of the EMTs immediately tried to place it back but she shooed them away with her hand. She looked right at him and in a raspy, wheezy voice said, "Don't tell Reggie."_

_Marcus didn't give him a chance to reply. "Viv, he should know."_

_She replaced the mask and took a breath before moving it away again. "No, he already has so much to worry about and he can't do anything anyway." She stared back at Martin and repeated, "Don't tell him. Promise me."_

_His heart clenched beneath his rib cage at seeing his friend looking so weak and pale but more worried about her child than her own wellbeing. He nodded and said, "I won't tell him for now." He glanced back and forth between her and Marcus, who was shaking his head in silent disagreement. "But as soon as the doctor's find out what is going he should know." _

"_Thank you," Marcus replied before looking down at his wife. He placed the palm of his hand on her forehead and said, "You win for now so please put your oxygen mask back on."_

_The elevator doors opened up and they all moved into the lobby. He led the way, moving people out of the way so they could hurry to the waiting ambulance. _

_While Viv was being loaded into the back by the EMTs, Marcus took him aside and asked, "My son will want to know why we haven't been by to see him tonight. What are you going to tell him?"_

_Martin considered the question before replying, "I'll tell him that I can't allow him to have visitors since he is the prime suspect."_

"_You're willing to be the bad guy in this?" he asked. _

"_If it means do something good for Viv, of course," he replied. Marcus nodded wearily, his eyes drenched in despair to have his son in jail and his wife being escorted to the hospital. He wanted to do what he could to reassure his friend. "Don't worry about Reggie right now. I'll make sure he's held in a private cell here tonight until we figure out how to proceed. I won't move him without telling you."  
_

"_Thank you, Martin," he replied._

_One of the EMTs shouted that they were ready to go so Marcus started to get up into the back of the ambulance. Martin gave Viv a small wave as the doors were closed and the ambulance drove off. _

XoX

The elevator opened and before he even exited Danny was waiting for him. "How is she?" he worriedly asked.

"She steadied out long enough to give me some orders before she left," he replied, stepping off the elevator and getting in step with Danny as they walked back to his office. He told him about Viv's request and he agreed to help keep the cover. When he was done he asked, "Where's Jack?"

He was still brewing with anger at Jack's behavior. He and Danny were on their way to talk to Viv about Reggie and before they heard the arguing before they turned the corner in time to see Jack yelling at Viv and her collapsing to the ground. If he wasn't so scared for Viv he might have tried to punch Jack for being an ass.

"In his office," Danny replied, slowing his pace long enough to look over in his shoulder in the direction of Jack's office. "For what it's worth, he feels awful for what happened."

"I should hope so," Martin bitterly replied.

Ever the family peacekeeper, Danny stopped walking and said, "Look, I'm as upset as you are but the man is really torn up. You should have seen him," he shook his head slowly, "it was sad."

XoX

_Danny followed Jack into his office and closed the door as his friend stumbled over to the sofa and plopped down, a look of anguish on his face before he lowered his head and rested it in his hands. _

_He walked over and sat down opposite him. He clenched and unclenched his fists, hoping to steady out his shaking hands. It was quiet for a long beat, each man still reeling from the turn of events and seeing a beloved friend collapse. He couldn't deny that as much as he felt for Jack's situation with his daughter he was still plenty mad that he would berate and threaten Viv. _

_She was Viv and he was Jack, they weren't supposed to be enemies. _

_He looked over at Jack, who was completely still and quiet, and asked, "What are you doing, Jack? This isn't like you."_

_Jack dropped his hands from his face but kept his gaze fixed on the floor. "I wish I could tell you." He looked up and said, "This thing is…it's killing me. I can't even think straight. I don't even know who I am anymore. I see myself do and say things that I know I shouldn't but I can't stop myself."_

_Danny leaned forward and carefully said, "Jack, we are working the case as hard as we can and we are going to find out who did this. We are. But you need to take a step back and let us do our job. You're too close and you can't be objective anymore." _

_Jack nodded. "You're right," he stood up and released a heavy sigh, "I know you're right."_

_He walked over to his desk and started straightening it up. "I'm going to go home." He closed picked up a stack of folders and started flipping through them. "Please tell Martin for me." He cleared his throat and softly asked, "And can you call me when you find out how Viv is?"_

"_You go it," Danny replied gently. Jack gave him a smile of gratitude as he picked up his phone, signaling that their conversation was over. Danny nodded goodbye and started to the door to seek out Martin. _

_As he exited he heard Jack say into the phone receiver, "Hi honey. Yeah, I'm heading home in a little bit…"_

XoX

"He knows he messed up," Danny finished. "Maybe this thing with Viv is his final wake-up call that he needs."

Martin considered Danny's words. As much as he was furious at Jack he reminded himself that he was the one who let Jack observe and be involved in the case. From the beginning he didn't think it was a good idea but he agreed just the same.

"I hope you're right," he said at last. They started walking again and he added, "In the meantime, we need to solve this case quickly and keep both Jack and Viv as far away from the case and each other as possible."

They finally reached his office and he saw his father and Sam sitting on the sofa talking. They walked in and they both leapt up, anxiously inquiring about Viv'c condition so he gave them another recap before sitting down and asking Sam, "Has Reggie already been sent downstairs?"

"Yeah, Dawson took him down and will make sure that he gets his own cell." She folded her arms and asked, "So, what's up next?"

He rubbed his chin and replied, "We go through the box of evidence and see if we can figure out what it is that Randi was investigating."

She nodded her head and replied, "I call Frances and let her know we are going to be home late." She started walking to Martin's desk before stopping to look over Victor. "You know, we are going to be stuck her going through boxes and it would be nice to have some family at home with the kids." She smiled at him. "And they are very anxious to see their granddad. They've been looking forward to it all week."

Victor laughed. "I know you are trying to get rid of me but I am willing to let you because I am excited to see my grandkids." He nodded over to Martin and jokingly said, "I guess your wife here is sending me home."

"Take if from me, do as she says," Martin quipped.

Victor picked up his coat and they all exited the office. Martin bid his father goodnight as the older man headed to the elevator and the rest of them walked over the bullpen. As they moved down the hallway he leaned in towards Sam and quietly said, "I cannot believe you actually got him to go."

"I know his weak spot," she replied with a small smile.

They reached the bullpen to see Paul surrounded by boxes and plastic bags filled with personal items. He looked up when they approached and said, "I was beginning to think I was going to have to sort through all this stuff myself." He picked up one of the bags that held a gold chain necklace and said, "Det. Schmid took his sweet ass time getting this stuff to us so I am just now getting started filtering through what's what."

Martin took the lid off one of the boxes and asked, "What do we know so far?"

"There are no fingerprints on any of the stuff, not even of the girls that they were supposedly taken from," Paul replied.

"That doesn't make any sense," Danny contributed, picking up a few bags to study their contents. "They are meant to be trophies, keepsakes. If he thought they were important enough to take them he would want to touch them, remind himself of the sensation he felt when he committed his crimes. Why would he wipe them down?"

"Maybe he used gloves?" Sam guessed.

"Nah," Martin said, agreeing with Danny's trail of thought. "He would want to touch them with his own hands, trophies are connected with tactile sensation."

"Okay, so what are we thinking?" she asked, picking up a plastic bag with a leather notebook inside. "That Reggie is being set up and the person who planted these wiped them down to get his own fingerprints off?"

"That would be my guess," he replied.

Paul leaned back and looked over at Martin asking, "What about the autopsy report?"

"It was consistent with our theory that he was doing a body dump and the night watchman was a collateral damage," he replied. "They found skin under Randi's nails signaling that she fought back but they don't think they can get any good DNA off it since the water in the Hudson may have compromised what little there was."

"So we do it the old fashioned way," Sam said aloud, unsealing the bag to remove Randi's notebook. "We examine the evidence and look for clues."


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

XoXoXoX

Sam turned to the next page of Randi's notebook trying to decipher what clues the young woman was chasing before her murder. So far most of the notes consisted of information they already had or random notes on theories she had considered before being promptly crossed out. As she neared the final pages that contained scribbled notes, Sam couldn't help but think that something was off but she just couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She heard some munching sounds and looked up to see Martin chewing on some pretzel sticks. He was comparing the phone records of all the victims against Reggie's trying to see if there was any pattern. She smiled at the sight of him sitting across from her, the both of them working together on a case. She had missed this most after they got married.

XoX

_Martin grunted as he shoved the sofa up against the wall. When he was done he looked over at her and asked, "Well?"_

_She tilted her head back and forth, considering, before finally replying, "I think I liked it better over against the other wall with the window." _

"_That was where we had it to begin with," he whined as he plopped himself down on the sofa. "You're basically telling me that I just spent the last hour moving this damn sofa around for nothing." _

_She gave him her best coy, flirty smile and replied, "But now I am sure that is the best place for the sofa." _

_He laughed. "Oh, that's a relief." _

_They had been married four months when they finally decided to buy their own home. She thought the mortgage on the brownstone was astronomical but thankfully Martin had a quite a bit of savings from the money he inherited from his grandparents so they weren't hurting too bad. She almost decided against it but she really loved the house and having so much space so they bite the proverbial bullet and became proud new homeowners. _

_Of course, no matter how much more space she had to work with it was still tricky to try and figure out how to best set up the furniture. So on this Saturday afternoon she put Martin to work moving the sofa around the living room so she could see how each potential placement would look. And after he moved it in every conceivable direction she ultimately decided that they way they set it up when the moved in was best. _

_But Martin, being a typical man, failed to understand the decorative process. _

_She shuffled over to where he sat, looking unwilling to get up and move the sofa back, and said, "Come on, don't lose steam on me now." She grabbed his hands, trying to pull him up. "Just one more time and I promise we're done." _

_His arms went limp and unyielding as he remained seated. "Can't stand up, too tired."_

_She laughed as she continued trying to pull him up. "I think you have one more move in you." _

_This time he laughed and readjusted his grip so he could pull her to him. She stumbled forward onto his lap. He kissed her neck and murmured, "Oh, I have a lot more moves if you really want to see them."_

_She let her head fall to the side, giving him better access as she throatily whispered, "Are you sure? Because I'm pretty sure I've seen all your moves already…"_

_She could feel his smile against her collarbone as he replied, "Oh, I still have a few you haven't seen." She felt his warm fingers worm their way up under her tank top, rubbing small circles on her abdomen. "If you want I can show them to you," he murmured between soft kisses trailing from her neck to her shoulder and back again. _

_She opened her mouth to reply when a cell phone started ringing. They both went still before they looked at each other knowing that one of them was going to have to stand up and answer it. And judging by the bulge in Martin's pants she knew it was going to have to be her. _

_She planted a quick soft kiss on his lips before standing up and heading into the kitchen to see who it was for since they were both on call this weekend. She grabbed the cordless phone off the kitchen counter and answered, "Spade-Fitzgerald residence."_

"_Hello Samantha," Martin's SAC, Rick Mead, greeted her. "How are you doing?"_

"_I'm doing great but I'm guessing that you didn't call just to check up on me isn't why you called."_

"_No it isn't," he regretfully replied. "Is Martin home?"_

"_Yeah, hang on," she walked back into the living room and handed Martin the phone saying, "It's for you."_

_He nodded, accepting the phone. She sat down next to him as he talked to Rick. While she couldn't hear what the other man was saying she heard enough to know that Martin was being called into work. She watched him as he stood up and walked into the kitchen, telling Rick that he was going to get some paper to write something down. _

_She sighed heavily, trying to quash the disappointing feeling that their nice domestic weekend was gone. Before they got married she didn't mind the phone calls because if he was called in to work, so was she. So while they might not get to enjoy a lazy Saturday alone at least she knew they would spend time together while working a case. But now that he was working in another unit she didn't get to see him as much around the office and not nearly as much as she liked at home. _

"_Yeah, I'm on my way," he said into the receiver as he exited the kitchen. He pressed the end button and looked over at her. "Sorry, I gotta go."_

"_Oh-kay," she playfully whined with a small smile. _

_He slowly jogged up to where she was sitting and gave her a quick kiss. "I shouldn't be too late." He turned around and started upstairs to the bedroom to change into a suit, quickly adding over his shoulder, "Feel free to move the sofa back without me." _

"_I wouldn't dare letting you miss out on all this fun," she teased, her voice growing a little louder as he climbed the stairs, "It will still be here when you get home!" _

XoX

Martin highlighted a number and reached over for another handful of pretzel sticks when he caught her looking at him. "What?" he asked.

She shrugged and smiled. "I was just thinking that it's nice working together." She quickly waved her hand apologetically as she amended her statement, "I mean, I hate the reason of course, but it's nice being able to work a case with you again."

His lips curled into a small smile as he softly replied, "Yeah, it is." They shared a look when his cell phone shrilled in his coat pocket. He reached in and pulled it out. "Fitzgerald. Hey, Marcus, how is she?" He released a sigh of relief and smiled at her. "That's good. Yeah, I know. Don't worry, it's handled. Yeah. Sure. Thanks for calling."

"How's Viv?" she asked as he hung up.

"It wasn't her heart. The doctor's think she just had an anxiety attack given all the stress she has been under," he dropped his cell back into his pocket; a visible look of relief crossing his face. "But they are keeping her overnight for observation just in case."

"What's just in case?" Danny asked as he wandered back into the bullpen. He sat down on the chair between her and Martin and grabbed a handful of pretzels.

As Martin updated Danny on the news about Viv she reached over and grabbed some pretzels of her own. While Martin ate whenever he was nervous or anxious or happy or sad or just plain hungry, she was his opposite. She couldn't bring herself to eat when she was stressed out. But knowing Viv was going to be okay she allowed herself a moment to just relax.

"Well, I just checked up on Reggie and he's doing as good as can be expected," Danny announced through a mouthful of pretzels. "Paul agreed to monitor things overnight and he's down there now making sure the paperwork is all squared away."

"Good," Martin replied. He divided up his stack of files, giving half to Danny. "Here, you take this part and maybe we can all get home to see our families before the kids are all asleep."

Danny got to work reading through his files as they all returned to their assigned tasks, each nibbling on pretzels. After a few minutes of eating the salty snack Sam found herself wanting something cold to drink.

"I'm going to get a soda from the vending machine," Sam announced as she stood up, scooting her chair out. She glanced at Martin and Danny, "Can I get either of you one?"

Danny shook his head while Martin replied, "I'd love one thanks."

She nodded at him before walking away and heading down the hall to the break room. She was almost there when one of the clerk agents intercepted her.

"Agent Spade," the eager young man held up a file, "Have you seen Agent Fitzgerald? I have an update on the record he had requested."

"I can give it to him," she replied, holding out her hand.

"Thanks," he replied before bidding her good night and disappearing around the corner.

She flipped open the folder to see what new information there was about the case when her stomach dropped realizing what the file actually contained: a credit check on Max Spade.

She knew that Martin had gathered the initial information about Max but she didn't realize that he had kept it open ended, requesting updates on any recent activity. He was more determined in her contacting her father than she had realized.

She quickly scanned through the contents and saw that there was a recent credit check run on her father when he applied for a business loan. It seemed he borrowed twenty-five thousand to invest in a river tour company in Chicago, Illinois. Her father was going to be part owner of a boat that gave architectural tours along the Chicago River. This meant she now knew where he was living and working at this very moment.

She stood there staring at the information in her hands, unable to process what this meant for her.

"Sam?"

She looked up to see Martin walking up to her. She took a step in his direction, anxious to talk to him about this new information when she noticed the sad look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"My dad called," he replied, his voice cracking, "Milo died."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A/N: Sorry for the big lag between updates. 'tis the season for my cookie business, holiday parties, and graduation stuff (not mine, I run it). Anyhoo, sorry and I hope to post again sooner rather than later.

And as always, thanks so much for reading!


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

XoXoXoX

Martin and Sam walked into the house and the first thing he heard was the sound of Grace and Nate cries coming from the kitchen. They both quickly entered the kitchen to find Grace sitting on Frances' lap, her head resting on her shoulder, while Nate sat squirming in his chair next to Victor.

"Stop crying, Nate," Victor said as he gently pat the little boy on the shoulder. "Big boys don't cry. You need to be strong."

Nate looked up at his grandfather, his cheeks glistening from tears, and wiped his runny nose with the sleeve of his shirt as he slowly nodded his head when he spotted Martin. He leapt off his chair and darted straight for him shouting, "Daddy!"

Martin picked up his little boy, cradling him close. "It's okay, buddy."

"I was trying to tell Nate here to buck up and be tough," Victor said as he watched Martin holding him. He shook his head ruefully and said, "You shouldn't coddle him so much. You're not doing him any favors, Martin. He needs to learn how to be a man."

"He's three years old and his dog died," Martin snapped back before returning his attention to his sobbing little boy.

"That's why this is the perfect way to teach him how to handle himself in this type of situation," Victor replied from where he sat, folding his arms over his chest.

"And I think that's why it's a perfect excuse to cry." He kissed his son's forehead and softly added, "It makes me want to cry, too."

"Martin…" Victor began again.

"With all due respect, Dad," Martin interrupted, feeling increasingly agitated by his father's advice, "Please shut up."

He could tell his father wanted to protest so he shot him a warning look as he wiped Nate's cheeks with his hand. He turned around to see Sam holding Grace, gently rubbing their daughter's back trying to soothe her.

"I'm so sorry about Milo," Frances said. She stood up and grabbed the box of tissues to hand to Martin.

He took one to wipe Nate's nose and asked, "What happened?"

"It was really sudden," Frances replied, taking a tissue for herself. "He was in the backyard romping around with Victor and the children. He was like a puppy again and then he just suddenly plopped over." She blew her nose. "If it helps, I don't think he suffered at all."

Martin gave her a grateful smile, suddenly feeling very choked up at the thought of his dog's final moments being one full of joy and he wasn't even home to witness it.

"Where is he?" Sam softly asked, gently swaying Grace in her arms.

"He was too heavy for Frances to move and you know I can't do any heavy lifting with my bad back," Victor replied, his voice low and thoughtful. "So I had Frances bring the children inside while I covered him with a blanket." He jutted his chin out the window and finished, "He's still in the yard."

Martin shared a look with Sam. She gave him a reassuring smile and tilted her head to the door. He nodded and, still carrying Nate, walked to the door to the backyard and went outside.

On the drive home they discussed that they were going to be straightforward with the kids. Give them all a chance to grieve and provide them with honest answers. It was an unfortunate convenience that Milo's death had come so close after the passing of his mother because now their small kids were intimately acquainted with death. They handled their grandmother's death in stride and he hoped that they would be able to cope with the loss of their beloved pet.

He hated that his small children had to lose two loved ones in such a small span of time.

He walked over to the patch of grass where a small mound was covered with a blanket. He put Nate down and the little boy scurried over to Sam, clutching her leg. He knelt down and lifted up the blanket to see his beloved Lab lying in repose. For a split second it almost looked like he was sleeping but only for a split second. His body was stiff and lifeless.

Martin swallowed the lump in his throat and reached over, gently petting Milo's head. This dog was more than a pet to him. He was a member of his family long before he had a family of his very own. Milo was a gift. Given to him by his sisters, urging him to get to work on having a family if he really wanted one. Milo was there when he met Ruby and his comfort when she was gone. He was the reason he got up every day and kept moving. When Milo first met Sam he was excited by just the sight of a woman who was a virtual stranger to him, reinforcing a suspicion in Martin's gut that she was the woman meant for him. He was also an endless source of entertainment and fun when they began their relationship again; just the three of them going on weekend trips to Vermont or the Catskills.

And when their family grew with the addition of Grace and Nate, he was patient and gentle with their chubby fingers grabbing at his tufts of fur and tugging of his tail. He was there to witness every milestone in their family because that was who he was to them. He was a part of their family. And now, yet again, the Fitzgerald family lost another member.

"Hello," a calm voice announced, pulling him from his thoughts. He looked up to see Milo's veterinarian, Simon Murphy, walking towards them. He had been the dog's vet from the very beginning and even though he was semi-retired and no longer taking new patients, he still saw his older ones. So after Victor called Martin and told him about Milo dying, he immediately called Simon and asked him to come to the house.

"My doggy died," Grace declared at seeing the elderly doctor she recognized from both Milo and Daisy's checkups.

"I know," Simon replied in his usual soft-spoken manner. He gently pat her hand and ran his hand over Nate's head as he passed before kneeling down next to Martin. "I'm sorry, Martin. Milo was a great dog."

"Yeah he was," he breathed out. He cleared his throat and asked, "So, um, what do we do now?"

Simon looked over his shoulder at Sam and the kids before turning back to face Martin. "I have my truck double parked outside. We should wrap Milo up so I can take him to the clinic. I'll hold him there until tomorrow morning and then we can arrange his cremation or burial."

"Cremation seems to be the first choice in my family," he replied. He bit his cheek, trying to check his emotions. "Can you give us a minute? I think we all want to just say our final goodbyes."

"Of course," Simon said as he stood back up and wandered over to stand near the door.

Martin looked over to see his father and Frances standing at the kitchen window. He turned his attention back to Sam and the kids and waved them over. "Come here, I want us to say goodbye."

Nate released his grip on Sam's leg and shuffled over to Martin, resting his hand on his shoulder while thoughtfully chewing on his thumb. Sam put Grace down and the two of them walked over, holding hands before each kneeling down next to him.

Sam sat back so Grace took the opportunity to sit on her mother's lap. Sam hugged her daughter and gently began, "Goodbye Milo. You were a really great dog and I loved you very much."

"Me too," Grace added with her eyes focused on Milo's ears. She slumped back and looked over at him, asking, "Is Milo going to heaven with Grandma?"

"Yeah," Martin replied, wrapping his arm around Nate and pulling him close. "He's in heaven with Grandma."

"That's good," she said with a knowing nod. "She'll take good care of him. Won't she, Mom?"

Sam rested her chin on Grace's shoulders and smiled. "Yes she will."

"What's going to happen now?"

"Dr. Murphy is going to take Milo back to the animal hospital," Martin carefully replied, not wanting to be too graphic. "He's going to get Milo ready so we can bury him."

"Are we still going to bury him by the tree?" she asked, her eyes wide and inquisitive. "Like we talked about when we were making the list?"

"Yes, we are," he replied.

Nate knelt down and began petting Milo's side. "Bye, Milo. You a good doggy."

Grace did the same and said, "Goodbye, Milo. Tell Grandma I said hello."

They all looked at him, waiting for him to say his goodbye as well. He bit his lip and looked down at his most beloved pet. He reached over and ran his hand along Milo's side and said, "Goodbye, Milo. Thank you for being the best four legged friend a man could ever ask for."

They sat huddled together around Milo for a long beat. Satisfied that the kids were going to be okay, Martin stood up and whispered to Sam, "Why don't you take them inside and I'll get Milo ready."

She gave him a soft look and sad smile before picking up Nate and grabbing a hold of Grace's hand to lead them back inside. Once they were inside he carefully wrapped Milo's body up in the blanket and picked him up, carrying him back inside. Simon walked ahead of him when Victor held open the door. He told him that it was clear, Sam had taken the kids to their bedroom. He was relieved because he didn't want the last time they saw Milo to be of him transporting his lifeless body to the back of a truck. His father continued assisting by holding open doors, following Martin outside.

Once Milo was loaded, Simon told him that he would call him as soon as Milo's ashes would be ready for pick up. He thanked the vet for making such a late night home visit, shook his hand and watched as the truck drove off.

He turned back around and looked up at his house. He knew he needed to go inside but he couldn't bring himself to quite yet. Instead he sat down on the stoop, needing a moment to compose himself. Victor glanced around, looking fidgety before finally sitting down next to him.

The two men sat together quietly before Victor cleared his throat and said, "I had a dog when I was a boy. His name was Rusty. He was this tiny Terrier and he would follow me everywhere." He brushed some imaginary lint off of his slacks. "I taught him how to roll over, fetch, and beg. He could catch a ball in the air."

"What happened to him?" Martin asked, curious as to where his father was going with this disclosure.

"My dad, your granddad, got a new job and we had to move. He said I couldn't take Rusty so he made me give him to some neighbors," Victor replied, turning to face Martin. "I begged him to let me take Rusty, that I would make sure he wouldn't be a bother but he insisted. He told me that it was a sign of weakness to get so emotional about a pet. I cried and cried but that just made him madder until he shouted to stop crying or he'd give me something to cry about." He went quiet, lost in his memory. "I guess you could say I learned how not to cry from my dad," he said at last.

Martin studied his dad's forlorn face and suddenly felt badly for his father. Imagining him as a little boy being forced to abandon the dog he loved. "I'm sorry, that must have been hard."

"I know you were angry at my telling Nate to be strong and stop crying. I guess sometimes it's hard to let go of that part of myself. The part that still hears my father's voice in my head," Victor replied, staring off at the parked cars on the street.

"I know what you mean," Martin breathed out. He still sometimes heard his father's voice in his.

"But you're better at turning it off," Victor replied, trying to sound light but there was no mistaking the tinge of hurt.

Martin shook his head, "I don't turn it off. I just try to imagine what voice Nate might want to hear in his head when he's grown up."

Victor smiled and patted Martin on the back before standing up and heading back inside.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

XoXoXoXoX

Danny rubbed his tired eyes as he trudged up the hallway towards the bedrooms. When Martin told him that Milo had passed away he insisted that both he and Samantha go home and he would stay back to finish up going through the evidence. And after another four hours of fruitless searching he wasn't any closer to isolating another possible lead. Reggie Johnson remained firmly planted as their number one suspect.

He stopped at the door to his left and carefully pushed it open before stepping inside. Eli was fast asleep, his mouth slightly open as he released soft snores. He had kicked off all of his blankets so Danny adjusted the bedding, tucking his youngest son back into bed before giving him a quick kiss on the crown of his dark hair and exiting the room. He walked across the hallway and entered the other room just as quietly. Inside he saw that the lamp on the nightstand was still on but both Mike and Diego were slumbering peacefully. That's when he noticed that they both held things in their hands. Mike clutching one of his comic books and Diego was holding a marker in one hand and had a sketch pad resting under his other. He walked over to carefully extricate the items and place them on the nightstand. As he pulled the comic book free, Mike snorted and mumbled something incoherent. Danny was worried he woke the boy up when Mike rolled over onto his other side and went back to sleep.

"You could turn on a police siren in this room and he still wouldn't wake up," whispered a voice in the dark.

Danny turned around to see Emma hovering in the doorway. He smiled at her before stepping over to Diego's bed and removing the other items. "How do you know? Have you tried?"

"It's not easy waking them up in the morning. I have to be creative," she quipped, her eyes watching him as he put the pad and pen on the floor before running his hand over Diego's short hair and kissing him on the forehead and turning off the light.

He walked over to where she stood and the two of them stepped out into the hallway. He closed the boys' door behind him and said, "You didn't have to wait up for me."

"I wanted to," she replied, draping her arms over his shoulders. She kissed him softly on the lips as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She tilted her head back to look at him, rubbing her hand along the side of his face. "You look exhausted."

"It was a long day," he replied, feeling his eyes droop as he spoke.

She nodded, kissed him once more before stepping out of his embrace to lead him down the hall into their bedroom. She sat down on her side of the bed as he stood by the closet undressing. She was wearing her usual nighttime apparel: silk pajama pants and a tank top. She watched him as he toed off his shoes and said, "I don't know who to ask about first. It seems like everyone had a shit day."

He smiled at her use of words. Emma didn't curse much and when she did it seemed even naughtier. "I didn't see Jack in his office when I left so I assume he went home like he said he would. Hopefully Elaine can help him pull it together." He yanked off his tie and tossed it on the floor. "I hadn't heard anything more about Viv which in this case," he pulled out a hanger from the closet for his jacket, "is good news." He hung up his jacket and put it back in the closet. He started unbuckling his belt and added, "We have Reggie being held in a private cell so while it sucks that he is in jail we gave him the best possible accommodations we could."

"Do you think he's really guilty?" she asked, getting under the covers. "Because I just can't imagine him doing anything that he is being accused of."

"Us neither," he replied, hanging up his slacks. "Both Martin and I agree that if he did do anything he wouldn't have set himself up so perfectly. I know were missing something I just can't figure out what."

"Well I pray that you find out who really did these things very soon. Even if Viv did have a panic attack it is bad for her health," she replied, lying down on her side, her head propped up with her hand.

"Me too," he agreed. Only wearing his boxer briefs and undershirt he moved over to the bed and joined her. Just the feel of clean shirts and the horizontal position made him feel better. "I just have to pray that things turn around tomorrow because we all need some good luck."

He lay back and closed his eyes, happy to be home in bed. A good night's sleep was much needed. Hopefully tomorrow they will all come back to look at the evidence with fresh eyes and something they overlooked will make itself known.

She nestled up against him and whispered, "I talked to the kids about Milo."

He cracked open an eye to look at her. "You should have waited for me so we could do it together." He wanted to be there when they told the boys so he could help answer any questions they might have.

"I wanted to, believe me," she replied, lifting her head up to face him. He could see in her eyes she was sincere. "But Mike called to ask if he left a toy at their house, Grace answered the phone crying…what else could I do?"

He moved his arm so he could hold her to him. "How did they take it?"

"I think stunned sums it up best," she replied, relaxing against him. "They didn't cry but they looked bothered and upset. They wanted to know if there was going to be a funeral."

"And?" he prodded.

"I called Sam and she told me that Martin wanted to bury Milo's ashes in the backyard so she would let us know when they did and we could come pay our respects then." She rested her chin on his chest as she looked up at him. "The boys said they would make some condolence cards and get some flowers for Milo."

He nodded. "But they're alright? They're not freaked out or anything?"

"They seemed fine. I pretty much told them what we tell them when they ask about your parents," she thoughtfully replied. "In heaven now, continue to live on in our hearts and memories, all that."

"Okay good," he said, slumping back against the mattress. He shifted so he could put his free hand under his pillow as he stared up at the ceiling shadowed in darkness.

"What's going on? You seem a bit overly concerned here. I know you liked Milo, too, but it seems like something else is going on." She put her hand on his chest and gently shook him to get his attention. "Danny?"

"I don't know, I guess all this death recently. First Martin's mom and now his dog, it just made me really appreciate how lucky we are that Diego is sleeping in his room right now." He felt her shift so her face was close to his and she could see his profile. "For so many months I didn't want to even think about him…not making it through the treatments I guess now it's really hitting me how close we might have come to losing him."

He still offered up a silent prayer every day since Diego and Mike's procedure that his family was healing, whole and intact. He couldn't even fathom how their lives could carry on if… No, he couldn't imagine the worst. Diego was getting better everyday and he needed to focus on that.

"I know what you mean," Emma finally breathed out. She draped her arm over his chest and pulled her body tightly to his. "Today I actually found myself feeling enormously grateful that my son was causing trouble and getting into mischief."

He managed a smile. "Bet you never thought you'd say that in your life."

"Not in a million years," she replied, laughing lightly and shaking her head. He laughed along with her, knowing that a year ago if anyone had told them they would look forward to their boys getting into trouble they would have argued they were insane. She released a sigh when she was done and said, "But he's getting better everyday and it's high time the Taylor family starts embracing the present and looking forward to the future."

He hummed his agreement and they both grew quiet for a moment. Only the sound of their breaths and sound of the dripping faucet from the bathroom sink could be heard. A slow smile spread on his lips. "You know, speaking of the future, I'm seriously considering pursuing Jack's position."

She nuzzled her head into the crevice between his neck and shoulder and replied, "Well there's no denying that you deserve it. You are long overdue for advancement."

"It would mean that I'd be busier at work," he replied, tracing soft lines along her shoulder with his fingertips.

She sighed languidly against him. "Martin's an SAC and he manages to find time for family. I'm sure you will, too."

"Yeah," he replied with a slight nod before clarifying, "Of course, Sam might want the job, too."

"Would you be upset if she got the job and was made your supervisor?"

He considered the question. The truth was on some level he would mind but he also knew that if he got the job he would want her to okay with it so they could continue working well together. "Honestly, I will probably be bothered for awhile but if I expect her to work under me and still be my friend I need to do it if the situation were reversed." He playfully wiggled under the covers and rolled onto his side so his body was face to face with Emma's. "Of course, if that happens, you better be prepared to shower with me extra attention to soothe my wounded ego."

She chuckled softly. "While I have no doubt that you are going to get the job," she lined her body flush with his, tilting her head up so it was an inches from his. "If you need me to kiss your boo-boos and make it all better I will do that." She quickly pressed her lips to his before pulling back to smile widely at him. "And what about if you get the job?"

This time he grinned widely and replied, "Then get ready for some hot lovin' because I am going to want to wave my big guns at the office and most definitely here at home."

"Oh, so is that what you have here, Special Agent in Charge Daniel Taylor? A gun?" she purred, her breath warm against his mouth as she ran her hand outside his boxer briefs, igniting a very large response in him. "Because I seem to recall you telling me that you were going to show me who wears the pants in our family. You're not wearing any but I am…"

He smiled against her lips and reached for the waistband of her pajama bottoms as he replied, "That can be easily corrected..."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Aw, you guys... I'm so touched that you liked that chapter. I was so worried you would think it was a cop-out chapter. Thank you. I mean, I'm sorry that some of you got choked up but still, thanks.

FYI: There will be a funeral chapter so I will be sure to give fair warning.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

XoXoXoX

"Take a walk."

The guard lowered the magazine he had been reading and looked up at the man standing in front of him. He glanced around uneasily. "Agent Taylor left very specific instructions that I am not allowed to let anyone visit with Reggie Johnson without his or Agent Fitzgerald's authorization." He put the magazine back down on the table and reached for the phone. "I should call…"

"I don't think you understand what I'm telling you." Jack said as he reached over and pressed down on the disconnect button. "I asked you to take a walk. I also outrank both of them so unless you are fully prepared to explain to Van Doren on why you disregarded a direct order I suggest you do as I say and take your break now."

The guard hesitated, looking uneasy, like he wanted to argue before finally nodding his head and standing up. "I guess I could use a quick trip to the men's room."

"Good idea," Jack darkly replied. The guard gave him a nervous glance and started to walk away when Jack stopped him and in a curt tone said, "Leave the keys."

The man hesitated again before unclipping the keys from his belt and dropping them unceremoniously on top of the desk. He eyed Jack warily before turning and heading down the hallway.

Jack waited until the man was out of sight before pocketing the keys and stepping through the entrance leading down the corridor of cells. It was dimly lit as most of the prisoners were sleeping and he could hear loud snores from some of the cells, the only other sound was his leather shoes striding across the linoleum floor.

With each step the voice in his heard grew louder, telling him he should have just gone home like he told Danny he would. That he should just stop right now and turn around. It wasn't too late. He could go home to Elaine and let her speak reason as she comforted him but he couldn't bring himself to do it. No, the voice was being drowned out by his overwhelming need to end all of this right now. To know the truth once and for all, to stop pussyfooting around and get some answers.

He finally reached the cell at the far end and stepped up to the bars, peering inside.

Reggie was lying on the bottom bunk. He was wide awake and resting the back of his head on his hands staring up at the bottom of the top bunk. He noticed the shadow along the bars and looked over. When he spotted Jack he sat upright, a look of terror flashing across his face.

"Reggie," Jack greeted him coolly. Reggie's eyes darted around and he knew that the young man was hoping that someone else was around. "It's just me." He pulled the keys from his pocket and inserted the cell key into the lock. It clicked open immediately. "I thought it was time for us to have a conversation man to man."

"I'm not supposed to talk without my lawyer," Reggie nervously replied as he moved out from the bunk bed, stepping back up against the wall.

There was no denying that Reggie was afraid. And Jack had to admit to himself that this pleased him.

He slid the cell door open, stepped inside, and closed it behind him with a loud clang. He looked over at Reggie who was holding his arms tightly to him, watching with wide worried eyes. "What do you say we have ourselves a little chat?" He glanced around the cell as if taking inventory, noting the metal bunk beds, thin gray blue blanket and toilet in the corner. "You know, since we're going to be family now."

"Hanna told you?" he asked, taken off guard. "She told you about the baby?"

"It was quite a shocker," Jack said evenly. "I didn't even know she was seeing anyone much less you." He ran his hand along the top bunk, pressing down on the thin mattress as if testing it. "And now I'm going to be a grandpa." He gave him a small tight smile. "Grandpa Jack."

Reggie stepped backward, his back pressed up against the wall. "I'm going to do right by Hanna and the baby," he said earnestly. "I love her and I want to marry her. I promise I will take good care of both of them."

Jack glared at him and growled, "And how in the hell do you intend to do that from in here?" He waved his hand around the sparse cell, his gaze landing on the metal sink and blurry mirror scratched up with graffiti. "You're in prison in case you didn't realize." He fixed his eyes on the man, his look hard and unforgiving. "How can you possibly take care of Hanna and the baby when you are in jail for life or worse? You do know that you are being also being accused of two homicides so that means the death penalty is on the table, too."

"I didn't hurt Kate or anybody else," Reggie declared, adamantly shaking his head. "I promise you I would never hurt her or anyone else like that."

Jack stared back at the man as he began cracking his knuckles. "Than explain to me why at every single turn the evidence points directly to you. The connection to each and every girl, the timeline, and the evidence," his tone increased in fury as he finished, "How about the goddamn evidence? They found all that stuff in your house! Explain that to me!"

"I don't know how that stuff got there," Reggie shakily answered. "I'm being set up to take the fall."

"Who would set you up?" Jack demanded, stepping towards the man. "Who? Give me some names, some leads to follow. Anything to help prove your innocence, that you're speaking the truth."

"I can't," Reggie shouted back. "I can't think who would want to do this to me."

"That's because there isn't anyone else is there?" Jack spat back, stepping up to Reggie and invading his personal space. "Just tell the truth, it was you, wasn't it? You did it and if you really care about my daughter you will spare her having to endure a trial and tell the truth right now."

"I didn't do it!" he shouted again.

"And what about your mother? What about what this doing to her?" he could feel his blood pumping through his ears as the intensity of his anger returned. "Do you have any idea how this is destroying her? Destroying my daughter, destroying me? You can help ease all of this by just confessing. Tell the truth Reggie, tell it!"

"I am telling the truth!"

"Your truth is weak!" He shoved Reggie, causing him to shuffle backward. "And you're weak! Because only a weak man would rape innocent women! Rip their innocence from them so brutally! Only a weak man would murder a young woman when he knew she was on to him and then kill an elderly guard who had the misfortune of stumbling into his path as he dumped the body into the water like a coward." He grabbed Reggie by the collar of his shirt and tightened his grip. "How did it feel when you wrapped your hands around Randi's neck, squeezing her neck so hard that you crushed her trachea? Can you still hear the sound of her last gasps of breath? What about her eyes? How did she look back at you just before you ripped the life out of her?"

"Stop it! I didn't do anything!" he shouted back, frantically grabbing at Jack's hands to try and loosen his grip. "I didn't do it…" he choked out.

Jack stared into Reggie's brown eyes, at the genuine look of fear and that was when he saw an ugly reflection staring at him. His own reflection; that of a man warped by thoughts of revenge that he would do something so reprehensible in the name of justice as to corner a man in his cell and attempt to extricate a confession by any means necessary. He saw in Reggie's eyes how low he had sunk, how despicable he was acting because when he looked into the young man's eyes he knew that in this scenario he was the one doing wrong. He knew this to be true because only a man who couldn't imagine how closely linked good and evil truly were could look at him with such terror in his eyes.

That was when he knew he had his answer: Reggie was innocent.

He was paralyzed by this revelation for a split second when he felt the first punch. The air whooshed out of his lungs in one big release as Reggie hit him once more, causing him to stagger backwards. He hit the metal bars of the cell with his elbow causing a jolt of pain to shoot down his arm.

"I'm sorry," Reggie rasped. He rubbed his neck, gasping for air. "I didn't want to hurt you but I couldn't breathe." He watched as Jack bent forward, holding his side as he tried to catch his breath. "Are you okay?"

Holding his side Jack said, "If this was you not trying to hurt me I'd hate to think what it would feel like if you were."

"I never want to hurt anyone," Reggie said with sincerity.

Jack met Reggie's eyes in understanding and slowly nodded his head when he heard footsteps running towards the cell.

"Agent Malone are you alright?" the guard shouted as he reached the cell. He fumbled with his belt, looking for keys that he seemed to have forgotten he had given up earlier.

"It's fine," Jack replied, waving him off. He took some deep breaths and looked over at where Reggie stood and said, "We're both fine."

The guard looked around and in an accusing voice asked, "Are you sure? You don't look fine."

He straightened up and glanced over at Reggie who was watching them both silently, looking equally defiant and righteous. Jack couldn't help but think how much Reggie resembled his mother at this very moment. He turned to face the guard and nodded again, rubbing his side. "I told you I'm good." He jerked his head down the hall. "Now take a walk," he glanced over at Reggie and added, "I'd like to finish talking to my future son-in-law."

The guard's eyes darted between the two of them before turning and walking back down the hall.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

XoXoXoX

Viv hated hospitals. The smell of disinfectant assaulted her nostrils and made her stomach churn. She was annoyed by the constant interruptions of nurses and doctors writing down notes on clipboards that when she tried to read them found impossible to decipher making her wondered what exactly it was they were monitoring. The bed was stiff, the pillows hard, the bathroom cold, the ID bracelet itchy and uncomfortable, and the worse part of all was that she was stuck here and her son was stuck in a prison cell.

She knew that Martin was going to do everything in his power to help Reggie but she hated that she was excluded from the actual investigation. Having to stand back and offer up what she could when asked rather than being able to filter through the evidence, search the bureau databases and personally interview witnesses and suspects. Being able to help in a way she knew how would make her feel more useful.

Of course, Jack was able to do all of those things and he was a mess. She had heard that his sanity was hanging on by a tenuous thread but she never thought he would focus that rage at her. She cringed remembering how he yelled at her the night before, the look of disdain in his eyes and the venom in his voice. His words slicing through her like small razor blades. He couldn't have hurt her any worse if he had physically assaulted her. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block the memory. She didn't want to think about that, not now.

She opened her eyes again, released a heavy sigh and looked out her window. It had started to rain causing her window to be speckled with raindrops that reflected the city lights. She could see that the sun had risen and morning had finally come. She glanced over at the clock on the wall and saw that it was six-thirty am. As much as she wanted to get up and get dressed and get back to helping Reggie she knew that her physician wouldn't arrive to give her the all clear to go home until at least nine am.

Not to mention she had promised Marcus that she was going to try and take it easy, not get worked up again. She couldn't imagine how that would be possible until their son had been cleared of the crimes he was accused of but she knew he was right. She wouldn't do anyone any good by risking her health. She needed to stay strong not just for herself but for them, too.

She found her thoughts drifting to Marcus. They had been through so much together for so long that she could barely remember her life before he was in it. She sunk her head into her pillow as a smile appeared on her face remembering the first time she met him.

XoX

_She a sophomore in college and while her scholarship and financial aid covered most of her expenses it didn't cover all of it. So to make some extra money she worked part time as a bank teller. She found the work to be fairly easy, it was simply a matter of cash ins and outs, balancing and customer service. The best part was that the hours were flexible and she never had to take work home with her. When the bank closed and she balanced her vault she just went home to study. _

_She also liked that all walks of life frequented banks. Businessmen, soccer moms, senior citizens, punk rockers, and just about anyone else who had to cash a check, make a deposit or wire money. It gave her a great chance to observe people to try and figure out what motivates them. Or better yet, see how they spend their money; who has money and how they got it. It was here she learned that it wasn't always easy to tell who had it. She was surprised how many old men in ratty clothes had large sums of money in their savings accounts while the most dapper looking men were constantly overdrawn. Or how many young men wearing anti-establishment t-shirts were actually living lucratively off their trust funds. _

_It was on a slow morning while she was reading the latest bank memo when she first saw him. _

_He opened the door and a gust of wind blew through the bank, causing the loose deposit slips sitting on the counter to flutter through the air and onto the floor. She looked over to see the cause and spotted a befuddled looking young man rushing in holding a bank bag jingling loudly with loose coin. He was wearing work boots, baggy jeans and a gray New York Yankees hoody sweatshirt. _

_She glanced over at the other tellers and saw them all pretend to not notice him, focusing on their ten-keys or organizing their checks. She smiled, knowing that tellers generally hated having to deal with customers coming in with bags full of loose coin. Not only did it mean you either had to enforce bank policy that coin in commercial deposits must be rolled or you had to count it out yourself. Either way, it also meant that if you couldn't find someone to buy it from you, you were stuck with a large part of your vault cluttered with rolls of coin. _

_He walked through the maze of ropes before finally stopping at the 'Please Wait Here' sign, an expression of exasperation on his face. She glanced at the other tellers who were still occupied with their tasks so she smiled and waved him over. _

"_Hi," he greeted her as he unceremoniously plopped the bag down on the counter. _

"_Hello," she smiled back, immediately noticing how cute he was. "How may I help you today?" _

_He grinned and began, "Okay, here's the deal. I just started working as the night manager at Suds Laundromat," he paused and asked, "Do you know it?" _

_She nodded. "It's the twenty-four hour one around the corner." _

"_Yeah, well the thing is, I just started working there as the night manager. Last night was my first night." She noticed that he had a very nice smooth sotto voice. "And I'm supposed to empty out the machines and make a deposit every morning." He lifted up the bag. "But the thing is, we are out of coin wrappers and I know your bank insists that they be rolled for deposit."_

"_So you need wrappers?" she asked, reaching under her counter to grab a handful. _

"_Yes, no," he stammered and she looked up. "See, it's going to take me a long time to wrap these up and I have to get to a class in," he checked his wristwatch, "Thirty minutes. It's going to take me at least twenty to wrap it all. Don't you have some sort of machine that can sort the coin and count it?" _

"_Some branches do have those machines," she replied. "But we don't." _

"_Oh," he said disappointed, checking his watch again and glancing around. "Man, Mr. Pedroncelli said that the one thing that had to be done everyday was make the deposit and I really need this job." He shrugged, defeated. "I guess I'll take the wrappers and try and be fast."_

_She smiled at him and said, "Tell you what? It's against our policy but it's slow so I can help you out. Pour the coin out and I will roll it with you."_

"_Really?" he asked, a glint of thrill in his eyes. "That would be so great."_

_He poured out a pile of quarters and she quickly got to work rolling them. The benefit of being a bank teller is that you knew how to hold the coins in your hand so they slid perfectly into the paper wrappers. She rolled three for every one he did. While she could judge its accuracy by weight and lengthy, he had to stack the coins into ten stacks of four quarters each before he putting it into the wrapper. _

"_You're really fast," he commented, watching her as she finished her fourth roll. "Thanks for doing this for me."_

_She smiled up at him. "It's no problem."_

_He finished his first roll and set it aside before repeating the process. "Do you like working here?"_

"_It's okay," she replied, smiling up at him. "What about you? How did you like your first night at the new job?" _

_He laughed. "It's alright. All I really have to do is keep the vending machines stocked, empty out the coin changer and wipe up any spills. The main plus is that it's quiet most of the night which means I can spend the rest of the time studying."_

_She finished yet another roll and started a new one. "I go to the university as well."_

"_Really?" he asked, inadvertently flipping the quarter in his hand at her head. She dodged it, laughing as she bent down to pick it up and handed it back to him. "What's your major?"_

"_Criminology," she replied. "I want to work in law enforcement or maybe go on to law school." She glanced up at him and asked, "What are you studying?"_

"_Political Science," he answered her as he folded the edges of the coin wrapper._

"_Oh, that means you like to argue," she teased with a smirk. _

_He laughed and went on to explain that he enjoyed studying the evolution of politics and in what ways it has been used as a dividing force rather than a uniting one. How psychology, philosophy and history shaped the political system today. She listened as he talked passionately about his studies and his goals for the future. He asked her what drew her to criminology and she told him about her brother being a police officer and how even her father's time in the military was an influence. The conversation flowed so easily that in no time at all the coins were all wrapped up and his deposit was complete. _

_She handed him the receipt and said, "It was nice chatting with you."_

"_Same here," he replied, fiddling with the receipt in his hands. "Maybe we can do this again tomorrow morning." _

_She laughed. "I will be here tomorrow morning but I think my manager would prefer you came with the coins already rolled. Speaking of which," She reached down and grabbed a big stack of wrappers, sliding them over to him. "I think you're going to need these."_

_He accepted them. "Thanks." He lingered a bit, making no move to leave. "You know if you need a quiet place to study and maybe wash a load I'm working tonight."_

"_I'll keep it in mind," she said as her lips curved up into a smile. "I do like being able to multi-task."_

"_Okay, good," he said as he slowly stepped back, starting towards the door. He had a grin on his face. "I don't like to brag but I can hook you up a box of Tide good for one load. Maybe even get you some dryer sheets."_

_She shook her head, bemused and waved. "I said I'd think about it. Now get out of here you have class remember?"_

"_Oh yeah," he replied. He started to leave when he turned back to look at her. "I don't even know your name."_

_She smiled. "Vivian."_

"_Vivian," he replied, as if testing the way her name sounded as it crossed his lips. "I'm Marcus."_

_She smiled, laughing softly. "Goodbye, Marcus."_

"_Bye Vivian," he replied with a wink as he waved at her before quickly exiting the building. She watched him as she started running across the street and then out of sight. _

XoX

She went to the Laundromat that night and he wooed her with a complimentary wash and dry and soda and chips from the vending machine, dazzling her with the history of the Republican and Democratic parties, the Khmer Rouge, fascism, and everything in between. He listened intently as she talked about the civil rights movement, the judiciary system and she felt a need to help victims of crimes.

And the rest as they say is history.

She was still smiling at the memory when she heard a soft knock on her door before it creaked open. She rolled over to see if it was yet another nurse popping in to check on her and her breath caught when she saw who it was: Jack.

She sat up in bed and looked at him. His hair was mussed, his suit disheveled and his eyes puffy and pink. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. She might have felt sorry for him if she the mere sight of him was a reminder of how pissed off she was.

"If you're here to finish arguing let me just stop you right now." She glared at him, her eyes like daggers. "You can think whatever you want but you can't convince me. Now get out."

"I didn't come to argue," he replied softly, sounding contrite. He moved further into the room but moved along the wall, far from her as if he were afraid he would hurt her by coming too close. Or maybe it was the other way around. He stopped at the wall opposite the bed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I came to apologize."

This got her attention.

"Apologize?" she repeated, stunned. "Since when does Jack Malone apologize?"

His lips twitched to almost a smile. "I do try to avoid it as much as possible." His straightened his posture and met her eyes. "But when I am wrong, I try to own up to it. And in this case, I was wrong. Very, very wrong."

She shifted in the bed to face him directly. "Exactly what were you wrong about? Reggie? Yelling at me? What?"

"All of it," he breathed out. "All of it."

She stared back at him in disbelief; her ears trying to process the information, unable to believe what they were hearing. Just hours earlier he was yelling at her with venom in his voice and now, here he stood, humble with hat in hand.

"Why now? Why the change of heart?" she asked.

He licked his lips and wandered over to the window. He glanced outside before turning to face her again. "I had a conversation with Reggie."

"Martin let you talk to him?" she asked, perturbed. She had asked Martin to keep her son safe and she didn't consider him spending any amount of time with Jack Malone safe.

He scratched his jaw, hesitant, as he finally replied, "Martin doesn't know. I, I visited Reggie in his cell – alone."

She knew him and his methods well enough to know what he meant. And the very notion that he would harm a hair on her son's head was enough to make her blood boil. She bolted upright, seething. "Who the hell do you think you are to even think about seeing my son alone in his cell? You son of a bitch, if you laid so much as a hand on…"

He rushed over to try and calm her down. "You're going to have another episode."

She pulled the blanket off. "Oh no I'm not. I have no anxiety about kicking your ass if you touched my son."

"You're too late, Reggie already beat you to it," he quickly replied. She stopped and stared up at him. He smiled and added, "He's got a hell of a punch."

She narrowed her eyes at him and said, "I think you better tell me exactly what happened."

He waited until she settled back into bed before going on to tell her about sneaking into Reggie's cell to talk. He confessed that he was ready to cause harm if it meant getting to the truth. She listened as he confided in her how he realized how low he had sunk and how in that cell he finally understood the truth that he had been blinded to for so long.

"When I looked into his eyes I saw," he shook his head as his voice lowered an octave, "I saw how distorted I have become by all of this." He met her eyes, looking sad and lost. "I was just so obsessed with vengeance that I couldn't even see straight. And I'm sorry that I tried to drag you down with me."

"But now you can see straight?" she asked gently. "The truth that is, now you see it?"

He nodded slowly. "I know Reggie didn't do it." She smiled a small smile, relieved that he now knew what she had known all along. His expression fell as he stared out the window and quietly added, "But than that means the man really responsible is out there somewhere…"

She followed his line of sight, understanding what he meant. While Jack was now convinced the evidence was still piled high against her son and he was still in for the fight of his life. They both grew silent, knowing that everything was far from being resolved.

Jack yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. She knew he must be exhausted and if he really wanted to be of use he needed to get some sleep.

"You should go home and get some rest," she said at last. "You're no good to anyone if you aren't at the top of your game."

"Yeah, I should," he replied, stepping away from the window and heading to the door. He paused and turned to look at her. "I really am sorry, you know that right?"

She looked at him softly and said, "I'm sorry for all of us."

He started to the door again when it swung open and Marcus appeared.

"What in the hell are you doing here?" Marcus growled at Jack.

"I was just leaving," Jack calmly replied.

"Dam straight you are," Marcus said threateningly.

"It's alright," Viv declared, loudly, from where she sat. "He came to apologize."

Marcus' eyes darted back and forth between them before brusquely walking past Jack towards her. He kissed her before sitting protectively on the edge of the bed like a bodyguard between her and Jack. It was sweet if it didn't just make everything that much more uncomfortable.

She ran her hand over Marcus' arm trying to soothe him as she said, "Goodbye, Jack." He nodded at her and started for the door with Marcus' eyes boring into his retreating back. Trying to distract her husband she asked, "Did you get a hold of Henry?"

He turned to face her and in her peripheral vision she could see Jack's hand on the doorknob but not turning it. "Yeah, he said it wasn't any problem."

He ran the back of his hand along her cheek so she looked at him and replied, "Good. One less thing to worry about."

She heard the door swish open and looked over to see Jack gone.


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

XoXoXoX

It was a crowded morning at the bureau so Sam, Martin, Danny and Paul were all crammed into the rear of the elevator with other agents that she vaguely recognized. She glanced covetously at Martin's beverage suddenly wishing that she hadn't already finished her coffee on the drive to the office. She might be tempted to snag Martin's except she liked her coffee black with sugar and Martin preferred cream.

She glanced at her husband, admiring how he was putting all his focus back on the case. She knew that he was still torn up over Milo's death but he knew that he couldn't let it distract him from his work. Thankfully they got some time to talk the night before.

XoX

_They lay together in bed, each feeling emotionally drained from the day's events. It took some time to get the kids to bed but after several bedtime stories and lots of comfort they finally fell asleep. _

_She lay with her head on Martin's shoulder, the palm of her hand resting on his chest, feeling each beat of his heart. She glanced up at him and could see that he was still wide-awake, the whites of his eyes visible in the darkened bedroom._

"_I'm really sorry about Milo," she said, gently. _

"_Thanks," he replied, his voice coarse like sandpaper. "But he wasn't just my dog you know. I'm sorry for you, too."_

"_I know he wasn't," she said, moving her hand up to his shoulder, giving him a gentle squeeze. "But he was yours first and I know he was very special to you for that alone." _

_He nodded and grew quiet again. She wondered what he was thinking about or who? She knew that Milo was linked to Ruby and she wondered if maybe he was thinking of her. It would be a natural thing to do during this time. He cleared his throat and started to speak and she prepared herself for a conversation about Ruby or maybe his mother but he surprised her by talking about his father._

"_Earlier, when I was outside with my dad he told me that he used to have a dog," he said as he started to caress her back and shared the story Victor had told him about being a young boy who had to give up a beloved pet. Her heart broke for Victor being taught how to be tough and not cry at such a fragile time in a young boys life. She snuggled closer to Martin and he finished, "When I was growing up I used to be really angry at my dad for being so…bossy and cold. I know he has changed over the years but every now and then I still see it. Normally I can count on my mom acting as a buffer but now that she's gone…" he trailed off, taking a beat to compose himself. "Anyway, tonight I saw how he used to be with me with Nate and I got really mad at him for talking to Nate the way he did." _

_She wanted to say something comforting but she couldn't find the words so she just held him tighter to her. _

"_The thing is, when he told me about how his father was with him it made a lot of sense," he said, looking down at her. "I always hated that there was such distance between the men in my family growing up. I guess that's why I try so hard with Nate. I don't want him to ever doubt that I love him or don't support him."_

"_He may be three but he knows how you feel," she replied, moving her head to face him. "You're an amazing father to him and he knows everyday how much you love him. I'm certain of that."_

_He tilted his head back and forth, wondering, as he replied, "It just makes me sad that my dad grew up with such distance with his father. Or that when I was growing up he was pretty much a stranger to me and I'm only getting to know him now."_

_She looked away, focusing her eyes on the dresser against the wall. "Martin, you and your dad may not have been close while you were growing up but you're pretty close today." She could feel her throat grow sore as the feeling of being hurt by her own father's abandonment rose up. "And at least he was there everyday when you were a kid. That has to count for something."_

"_It does," he breathed out. They were quiet for a moment when he shifted in bed so he could look at her. "Is this making you think about your father?"_

_She sighed and said, "Martin, we should be talking about you…"_

"_Sam, it's always about both of us," he replied, running his hand down her arm until he reached her hand. He played with her fingers and said, "If my father issues led us to talking about yours that's fine by me." _

_She met his eyes and whispered, "There was an update on the report you requested on my father." She took a deep breath and went on to tell him about the information given to her. "So it seems he is living in Chicago." _

"_So what are you going to do?" he asked, his voice was even and measured but she recognized the hopefulness. _

_She shook her head. "I don't know. I think on top of everything else I can't possibly make a decision right now." She nestled herself into his embrace, tucking her head under his chin. "Right now let's just focus on finding the campus rapist and burying Milo. I'll worry about my father later."_

_He wrapped his arms around her and replied, "Just promise me that you are going to follow through on this."_

_She closed her eyes, inhaled the smell of his skin and breathed out, "I promise."_

XoX

"I know we're missing something but I can't just figure out what," Martin commented as he sipped his coffee, pulling her out of the memory.

"Same here," Danny replied as he took a bite of his bagel while Paul hummed his agreement.

Sam glanced at the men, knowing that she didn't need to add her own lament to theirs when a sympathetic look would do. Since they all arrived early this morning they had been discussing how to proceed in the investigation. Each hoping that today was the day they broke the case.

"Do you have a breath mint or a piece of gum?" one of the other agents asked her.

"Sure," she replied, opening up her purse. She pulled out some rocks, a couple of plastic green army men, a Happy Meal toy car, a hair tie, and one of Nate's books. She handed them all to Martin to hold. She pulled out a package of wet wipes and a sock before finally locating the small tin of mints. She handed it to the agent. "Here you go, help yourself."

"Geez Samantha, what else do you have in that purse?" Paul queried with a laugh as the agent gave her back the mints and Martin started handing her back the items to dump back into her purse. "A TV? Maybe the kitchen sink?"

She shot him a playful but warning look as she replied, "I have two small kids. I'm either picking up their stuff after they lost interest," she held up one of the rocks, "Or they find stuff and want me to hold it because it's the most fascinating thing in the entire world." She shot a glance at Martin and added, "And since dad's don't use purses, I end up with most of this stuff since I carry," she held up her purse, "convenient storage space."

"Hey," Martin argued as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a Hotwheel car, holding it up as evidence. "I carry stuff, too."

"That's a tiny little car," Paul said before pointing to her purse and adding, "She's not only carrying toys and hair ties but she also has a book for god's sake."

Martin grabbed the book and waved it up and down. "But it's just a little book. It's really light and like, what, fifteen pages?" He flipped through it. "And some are even torn out because Nate liked the pictures so much he wanted to carry them around in his pocket."

She snatched the book back. "Your appreciation for my motherly burdens is touching." She started to put the book back in her purse when a thought occurred to her. "You know what? It is lighter because some pages are missing."

"That's what I said," Martin agreed, taking the opportunity to put the Hotwheel car he had been holding into her purse.

"Shh," she ordered, as neurons flickered in her mind trying to make a connection to form one coherent thought. She had the feeling she was on to something but her mind was racing so fast it was taking her a moment to latch onto what.

And that's when it hit her, Randi's notebook. It was light. As if some pages were missing.

The elevator stopped on their floor and she pushed her way past the agents to hurry to the bullpen. She tossed her purse on her desk and immediately started searching through the evidence box, fishing out the leather notebook.

Martin, Danny and Paul hustled in after her. Martin stood next to her as she thumbed through the pages of the notebook and asked, "What's going on?"

"I read through this notebook for hours yesterday and something seemed off but I couldn't put my finger on it," she stopped at the last page Randi had written on. She lifted it up close, studying the binding. If she hadn't checked she would have missed it but she found the smallest frayed piece of paper signaling that a page had been torn from the notebook. "Here, look at this." She held it up to show Martin. "Whoever killed Randi ripped out a few pages before putting it in Reggie's box."

"Those pages probably had the information about the lead she was following," he replied, running his hand over the next blank page. "There are some dents in the paper from where Randi wrote."

Danny snatched the notebook. "If we take this to trace they can do that thingamajig where they put it in that whatchamacallit and it helps figure out what she wrote. You know where they use air and ink and glue…that thing."

Paul stepped up and looked over Danny's shoulder, adding, "I don't know if that would work. The dents could be from multiple pages not just one single entry. It's going to be hell to decipher and break it all up."

Sam sighed and walked over to her desk, idly listening as the men argued on how to proceed and if anything could be gained. As they talked she searched her desk looking for a pencil.

"Yeah but they might be able to get a few discernable words," Martin contributed, also looking over Danny's shoulder. "Why don't you take it down to the lab? Tell them to rush it and we should have it back in a few hours."

She finally located a pencil and walked over to where they stood. She grabbed the notebook from Danny and said, "Or we could just do this the old fashioned way."

She sat down and carefully, using the tip of the pencil on its side, rubbed the lead over the page. The parts of the page that were dented by Randi's handwriting remained white while the rest of the page was colored light gray. As she worked, all three of the men leaned over, watching her work.

Martin cleared his throat and said, "I guess this will do the trick, too."

She glanced up at him, shaking her head with a smile. When she was done she sat back and tried to decipher the words. Most of the page was a scattering of letters and a few numbers but there wasn't anything really clear.

Danny pointed to the upper right hand corner. "That sentence looks like it begins with a 'T' and then there's a word that looks like 'glasses.'"

"But whose glasses?" Paul asked. "Or does she mean drinking glasses?"

Sam continued reading it. "Okay, here's 'B' something and then the word 'eyes.' Blue eyes, maybe? Someone had blue eyes?" Paul and Danny just shrugged while Martin's brow was furrowed as he considered the possibilities. She looked back at the page and ran her finger along the line, continuing, "And then the letters 'osu.'"

"Was Randi dyslexic?" Danny asked, sitting down on the edge of the table. "I can think of a lot of words that end in 'ous' but not 'osu.'"

"That's because it isn't the end of the word it's an abbreviation," Martin announced as he rushed over to Sam's desk. "She meant Ohio State University." He sat down in her chair and began typing. "And the eyes don't reference eye color but buckeyes. Ohio State University, home of the Buckeyes."

"What are you searching for?" she asked, standing up and walking over to where he was.

"I'm guessing that in her research Randi expanded her search to other states and universities. Maybe she found something at OSU." He clicked the keys a few times and said, "Okay, here's something: three years ago there were two reports of a sexual assault with similar MOs. One victim was Tami Brown. On her way home from a frat party she was attacked. She claims that her assailant tried to rape her but panicked and took off when he heard some people approaching. She didn't get a good look at his face but she says that he was wearing glasses."

"It might have been his first time," Sam surmised. "He was inexperienced, nervous. That's why he didn't actually rape her."

"What else?" Danny asked.

Martin turned back to face the monitor and continued, "The next one was Kristi Pace. She was attacked in her apartment and raped. There was no forced entry so the local PD thought it might have been someone she knew. They interviewed everyone in her complex but they were all cleared."

"I'll contact Columbus PD to have them send us a list of everyone they interviewed," Paul announced as he walked over to his own desk and picked up the phone. "We can cross list them against our victims."

"Good idea," Martin said as he stood up and gestured to Danny, "Let's go down and talk to Reggie. See if OSU rings any bells." Danny started walking away but Martin paused and looked at her. "I'd like for you to stay here and see if you can make any more sense of Randi's notebook."

"You got it," she replied, moving to sit back down at the conference table.

As he passed her he leaned in, placed the palm of his hand on the small of her back and whispered, "Excellent work by the way, Agent Spade."

She released a light laugh and smiled at him. "Would you say it was worthy of a future SAC?"

He winked at her and replied, "Definitely."


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

XoXoXoX

Jack walked up the hallway towards room 2018. He had to brush past several students in order to enter the classroom as they were exiting, class just letting out. He finally made his way inside and saw Henry standing at the front of the classroom talking with one of the female students. He lingered in the back, waiting for him to wrap up. He watched as the unassuming young man chatted animatedly with the young woman and wondered how he could have overlooked him for so long.

When he was leaving the hospital earlier this morning he overheard Viv ask Marcus about Henry Stoltzfus, his graduate assistant. He had only met the young man on a handful of occasions but he remembered that he was a quiet fellow whose eyes were constantly watching those around him. He had been flirtatious with Kate but nothing ever came of it and as far as he knew Henry hadn't been in a relationship in the entire time he had been living in New York. And that's when he remembered that Henry was the one who had helped Kate get her apartment.

He studied Henry's features and mentally matched them up to the vague description of the rapist offered up by what the women could manage to remember. He wondered if this young man could be the man that had eluded the police for so long. He was the right age, height, he worked and attended the university, and he most likely knew each of the women through Reggie. When he factored in that Henry spent a lot of time in Viv's home it would have had perfect opportunity to put those items in Reggie's bedroom unnoticed. But Henry was so low key that he was easy to forget about but now it was a glaring omission that he had been excluded from the investigation. He was tempted to call Martin about his suspicions but he wanted to be more certain before taking a chance at accusing someone else in Viv's life.

He couldn't afford to be wrong twice.

"Email me your rough draft and I will review it," Henry said to the student when he looked over and noticed Jack's presence. He nodded and offered him a small smile before refocusing his attention on the young woman. "I will send you any notes on how best to revise it."

"Thanks so much, Henry," she said, adjusting her books in her arms. "I really need an 'A' in this class."

"No problem," he replied as the student gave him a grateful nod and headed to the door. He looked over at Jack and asked, "Agent Malone, what brings you to Poli Sci 101?"

"I was hoping to talk to Marcus," Jack lied. "Is he around?"

"Oh, well I'm sorry but Marcus isn't on campus today," Henry casually replied as he began gathering his things to put in his backpack. "Can I help you with anything?"

"I just wanted to see how Vivian was doing." Jack folded his arms, assessing Henry's level of discomfort at his close proximity, hoping for some sort of tell that the young man was nervous or hiding something.

"I talked to him early this morning and he told me she's doing better," he replied, zipping up his bag and setting it down on the floor looking relaxed. Jack knew if he was the one he was damn good at concealing it. "I'm sure I will see him later today so I can tell him you stopped by and ask him to give you a call."

"Thank you, I'd appreciate that," Jack replied with a smile. "So I guess you're covering his classes today."

"Yeah, its part of the perks of being a grad assistant," he replied with a shrug. "But Marcus is so great about letting me use my own style of teaching. That's why I transferred here. The professor who I worked with there was very specific that when I taught her classes I do it her way and her way alone."

"Sounds like some bosses I've had," he commiserated. "Where did you move here from again?"

"Ohio," Henry answered before abruptly turning around to erase the chalkboard.

Jack stepped up next to him and studied the board, reading what Henry had written down. "Summum bonum." He glanced at him and asked, "That's an expression used in moral philosophy right?"

"Yes. It describes the singular and most ultimate end that human beings out to pursue," Henry replied, still erasing. "It has philosophical and theological origins, from monotheism to Judaism. Today we covered its relationship to Christian philosophy."

"St. Augustine, right?" Jack asked, remembering the topic from his days in graduate school.

"You know your philosophers," Henry replied with a slick smile that made Jack's stomach churn.

"He was the one who denied the positive existence of absolute evil," Jack coolly replied. "That in a world with God at the center representing good that everything else was simply different grades of evil. That not all desires can be satisfied, they are conflicting so some goods must be foregone in order to obtain others."

"You know your moral philosophy well," he commented as he erased the word, leaving a smudge of white in its place.

"I try." He was trying to remain some level of aloofness hoping that he could trick Henry into sharing some useful information. "I never could quite grasp this one though. I mean Augustine argues that good is in two sections, the physical and the virtuous. That you have to choose one or the other."

"Actually, I prefer to think that you can have both," Henry replied as he finished wiping the chalkboard, setting the eraser down on the board's metal ledge. He wiped his hands and a puff of white powder released into the air. "Its just a matter of reconciling them. What might seem bad to some might seem perfectly good to another. It boils down to perspective."

"Perspective?" Jack released a humorless laugh. "Working in law enforcement I think the line between good and bad is pretty clear."

Henry picked up his backpack and swung it over his shoulder. "You're basing that on the laws here in the U.S. but the laws in Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, and even Canada are quite different based on their beliefs of what is good and bad. It just depends on what those in positions of power consider to be evil."

The manner in which Henry spoke sent the hairs on the back of Jack's neck to bristle with suspicion. "True. I have to admit that despite my disagreement over laws in other countries like Saudi Arabia I agree that some crimes should be punishable by beheadings. Molestation, murder…rape."

The word hung heavily in the air and Henry just looked back at Jack. While his expression was blank there was something in his eyes that betrayed an understanding but of what Jack couldn't be certain.

"I can understand why you would feel that way. How is Kate doing?" Henry softly asked. "I know she hasn't moved back to her apartment since she was attacked."

"She's a strong woman," Jack replied, feeling uneasy talking about Kate with him.

"Yes she is," he agree before gesturing to the door. "I'm sorry to end our conversation but I have to get to one of my own classes."

"Don't let me keep you," Jack said, his tone unemotional and even.

"Goodbye Agent Malone," Henry said as he walked to the door, gave him a final nod and exited.

Jack walked to the door and peaked through the small window in the door to see Henry walk casual down the hallway and turn the corner before he followed him out. He got to the corner and looked around to see Henry enter a classroom. He moved down the hall and looked in as he passed. He saw Henry sitting at a conference table, casually chatting with a couple of his fellow students.

Satisfied that Henry wasn't in a rush to go anywhere he pulled out his cell phone and turned it on as he walked down the hall. He had turned it off when he entered the hospital and was so focused on coming here that he had forgot to turn it back on. He started to dial when the cell shrilled announcing that he had voicemail.

He pressed the button for messages and saw that Elaine had called him several times. He put the phone to his ear and listened to his messages.

"You get home late, drop a few bombshells about Hanna and Reggie and Viv and then sneak out in the middle of the night. Do you have any idea how freaked out I was when I got up this morning and you weren't there? And I've been trying to call you on morning but you don't answer your damn phone…" Elaine trailed off and he could feel her anger radiating through the phone. "You better have a damn good explanation, Jack. Call me when you get this message."

Beep.

"Jack, I'm not only getting angrier the longer you wait to call me but I am also getting really worried. So unless your intention is to make me lose years off my life please call me back." She paused and he could tell that she was frustrated and hurt just by the sound of her breath. "I love you, Jack. Please don't shut me out. Not now. Call me."

Beep.

Jack clicked off his cell phone unable to listen to any more messages. His finger hovered over the number one button. He wanted to call Elaine and tell her everything but he needed to know he was one hundred percent certain first. He was tired of being in the wrong about potential suspects.

He decided to call her after he confirmed a few more details. She would understand when he explained it to her afterwards. He dialed the number of someone he knew would do the research without asking too many questions.

"Hewitt," Nora answered her cell. The harder she tried to sound like a professional she sounded like a sorority girl playing special agent.

"Nora, this is Jack," he replied, stepping into an empty classroom. "I need you to do a background check for me."

"Sure, what's the name?" she asked. He could hear her tapping keys in the background.

"Henry Stoltzfus," he replied, sitting down on the edge of a desk. "I know he lived in Ohio before moving to New York. Look into his history there first."

"Ohio sure is popular today," she commented as she typed.

"What do you mean?"

"Paul's at his desk right now reading through some old case files from Columbus."

"Let me talk to Paul right now," he ordered, his heart racing.

"Why…?" she began before he cut her off and ordered her to put Paul on the line immediately. Moments later Paul was on the line.

"Why are you looking into Ohio?" he demanded before quickly adding, "And don't give me any crap about what Martin said. I am still your boss and I need to know why you are researching Ohio right now."

Paul didn't reply right away and Jack knew that the agent was trying to decide what to do when he finally said, "We found out that Randi was researching rapes that occurred on Ohio State campus last year and…"

Jack didn't even wait to hear the rest of the story. He clicked off his phone and rushed out of the room, making a straight dash to Henry's classroom. He swung the door open and stormed inside. All of the students stopped what they were doing, staring at him like he was a crazed man.

He looked around but there was no sign of Henry anywhere. "Where's Henry Stoltzfus?" The students were still shocked by his entrance that they were too dumbfounded to reply. He asked again, more urgently, "Where is Henry Stoltzfus?!"

A young man sporting a goatee looked at him and said, "He left a few minutes ago. He said he wasn't feeling well."

Jack rushed out the room running as fast as he could with his bum knee, down the hallway, out the door and down the stairs. He glanced up and down the street but there was no sign of Henry anywhere.

He pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed, panting heavily from his mad sprint.

"Fitzgerald."

"Martin, I know who did it."


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

XoXoXoX

Martin had his cell pressed up against his ear, hovering outside the elevator still listening to Jack while Danny stood in the doorway, preventing the elevator doors from closing. Jack explained the reasons he suspected that Henry Stoltzfus was the man who had eluded the police for so long, listing off the connections that they had overlooked for so long. He matched up each of Jack's theories to what he had already learned about Henry. His proximity to Reggie's personal life and Kate, his connection to Ohio and his ability to remain below their radar but still be aware of the case's progress thanks to his connection to Vivian. All of the pieces were falling into place.

"…and he snuck out of class because he knew on was on to him," Jack finished, breathlessly.

"Jack, I think you're right about Henry," Martin agreed.

"Really?" Jack asked, surprised.

"Yeah." Martin replied, clearing his throat. "Reggie just confirmed that Henry attended OSU where the previous attacks took place…"

XoX

"_Are you sure Ohio State University doesn't mean anything to you?" Martin asked Reggie again. "Maybe one of your frat brothers transferred from there or went to high school in Ohio?"_

_Reggie was sitting on the lower bunk, wringing his hands nervously. "I already told you, I don't know anyone from there." _

"_You have to work with us," he said pointedly. He was feeling frustrated by Reggie's inability to help himself by answering the question. "You keep insisting that someone is setting you up but you can't even give us a clue who it might be. Give us something to work with!"_

_Reggie shook his head. "I already told Jack I don't know..."_

"_Jack?" Martin asked, shocked. "When did you talk to Jack?" _

_He glanced back and forth between him and Danny before finally replying, "He came in to see me in the middle of the night." _

_This news did not please Martin in the slightest. Jack continued to do what he wanted when he wanted without any regard to protocol or regulations. Although he shouldn't be the least bit surprised. Some things never change. _

_Martin huffed and looked at Danny. "So much for leaving special instructions for the guard." _

"_Yeah, well, bridge under the water," Danny replied with a sigh. He patted Martin on the back to calm down before taking a seat next to Reggie. "You're still in one piece so I'm guessing it didn't go badly. What happened?"_

"_He was mad and wanted me to confess," Reggie began softly. "We argued, it got pretty heated but," he paused and licked his lips, "but he just backed off. I guess I was able to convince him that I wasn't guilty. He even referred to me as his future son-in-law."_

"_And that's all?" he asked. Not believing that Jack Malone would end it there or give up so easily. _

"_Once the dust settled we talked some more about who I might think would set me up but when I told him I couldn't think of a single person he seemed to let it go." Reggie stood up and paced the small cell. "He told me he was going to try and make things right and then he left."_

_Danny nodded and asked, "Look, are you sure you don't know of anyone with a connection to Ohio? We need you to think about this carefully, this is very important." He glanced up at Martin before refocusing his gaze on Reggie. "It might not be someone you are very close to, maybe just someone you sort of know either through one of your old girlfriends or even Kate."_

_Reggie nodded his head slowly, considering. He lowered his eyes, staring down at the cement floor as he thought when he suddenly looked up and said, "Henry."_

"_Your dad's graduate student?" Martin asked as a mental image of the young man flashed in his mind. _

"_Yeah, he transferred to NYU from Ohio State," Reggie replied, a look of revelation evident on his face. "I had completely forgotten."_

"_When was the last time you saw Henry?" _

"_Yesterday," Reggie paused, thinking. "He was there when the police came and raided my room. He was there."_

_Martin and Danny shared a look. Each mentally lining up Reggie against the profile they had of the rapist so far, knowing that he would fit the mold perfectly. _

"_We should go have ourselves a little talk," Danny commented, standing up._

_Martin nodded as Reggie paced the small cell and asked, "But why? Why would he do this to me?" _

"_We can't jump to any conclusions yet. We don't know for sure its him," he replied, stepping up to the cell door and motioning for the guard to let them out. He knew that while this new information moved Henry to the top of the list he didn't want to risk anyone else being falsely accused. "We need to go talk to him."_

"_And if it is him? What then?" Reggie asked, anxious and desperate. "I have to get out of here. I can't take another day of this."_

_He didn't want to make a promise to Reggie that he couldn't keep so he simply said, "Stay strong. We won't let you stay here a minute longer than necessary." _

XoX

"I have Sam processing the warrants to search Henry's apartment as we speak," Martin said at last. After he exited Reggie's cell he called upstairs and asked Sam to start the paperwork when Jack called.

"We need to catch this guy fast. He's running," Jack said. His tone was urgent and edgy. "I'm heading over to his place right now. You can meet me there."

Martin sighed and tilted his head back. He did not want Jack anywhere near Henry if he was their guy. When Reggie told him that Jack had snuck in to see him in the middle of the night he knew that Jack's stability was on a tenuous thread. Reggie was just lucky that he was able to convince Jack of his innocence. It could have just as easily gone the other way.

However, he knew that if Henry was on the run Jack was the one closest to his apartment to stop him. He was just worried what methods Jack would use to do so.

"I think Henry's our guy, too but I need you to keep low until we get there with warrants. We want to arrest him by the book," Martin replied as he stepped into the elevator. "We are on our way."

"I'll make sure he doesn't go anywhere," Jack brusquely replied.

"Jack, keep your distance. We can't afford…" Martin began but it was too late, Jack had already hung up. "Shit." He looked over at Danny as he dropped his phone into his pocket. "We have to hustle. I'd hate to think what happens if Jack gets to Henry before we do."

"Do you really think Jack's going to do something foolish?" Danny asked as he pressed the button for the twelfth floor. "He was here with Reggie and he pulled back."

"You're focusing on the fact that he left here promising Reggie that he would help find out who is framing him," he replied, his eyes focused on the illuminating numbers signaling their ascent. "I'm more concerned with the fact that he snuck into Reggie's cell in the middle of the night, compromising our investigation. He may be right about Henry but if he harms him in any way he could jeopardize a conviction."

The elevator stopped on their floor and the two men quickly rushed out, making long strides to the bullpen. He saw Sam and Paul huddled together at Paul's desk staring at the computer monitor, engrossed in an intense conversation.

Sam spun around at hearing their footsteps and waved him over. "I'm on my way to see Judge Provenza about the warrants but we found something else that points to Henry."

He walked to where they stood and asked, "What?"

Paul looked up at him and said, "Henry Stoltzfus' name is on the list of the men interviewed in connection to Kristi Pace's rape. Local PD suspected him since he lived in the victim's building but they couldn't get a positive ID, DNA or anything else connecting him to the crime." He pointed to the screen and added, "But the victim did claim that her attacker took the locket given to her by her grandmother. Sam added it to the list of items we are searching for."

"Great," he replied, stepping back to look at Sam. "Call me as soon as you get the warrants in place." He tapped Paul on the shoulder. "I want you to come with me and Danny. Jack's meeting us there."

"Jack?" Sam asked as Paul shrugged on his jacket. "Are you sure its wise to have him there when you make the arrest?"

"No," Martin replied as Paul and Danny started towards the elevator. "But I don't have any choice." He saw her give him that look that meant she wanted more information but he knew there was no time so he said, "I'll explain later but in the meantime I need you to get me those warrants. I'd like to take him into custody before Jack has a chance to get a hold of him."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

XoXoXoX

Jack parked his sedan across from the apartment building and exited the vehicle. He wasn't going to approach Henry but what was the point in sitting around and waiting when he didn't even know if he was home. He stood at the curb waiting for traffic to clear before crossing the street when a taxi pulled up in front of the building. He watched as the cab driver stepped out of his taxi and walked up the front doors of the building. He rang the buzzer and said something into the speaker before walking back to his cab and getting back inside.

The traffic thinned out thanks to a red light so Jack hurried across the street and tapped on the cab window.

"Sorry, man, I'm waiting for my fare to come down," the cabbie announced as he lowered his window. "You're going to have to catch another ride."

Jack flashed him his badge. "Who are you here to pick up?"

The driver eyed the badge before replying, "Some guy. Last name Stoltzfus in apartment 7B."

"Where are you headed?"

"Airport," the cab driver replied. "What's this about? I don't want to get mixed up in some police business."

"Then get the hell out of here," Jack ordered, rapping the palm of his hand on the roof of the cab in dismissal.

The driver nodded and pulled the cab back into traffic, his bumper and taillights disappearing into the mass of cars. Jack waited until he was out of sight before turning around and entering the apartment building. He decided to just hang out in the lobby and wait for Henry to come down. He knew where the man was headed so he might as well just let him come to him. He leaned up against the wall, his eyes on the elevator as the memory of his last visit to this building washed over him.

XoX

_He inserted the key into the lock and looked over his shoulder to see Elaine with her arms wrapped around Kate who was pale and visibly shaking. "Are you sure you're ready to do this?" _

_She swallowed and nodded her head. "Yeah." _

_He glanced at Elaine who gave him a reassuring nod before turning back around to focus on unlocking the door. Kate was running out of clothes and she needed a few more things of her own. Normally he, Elaine, or Hanna would come fetch what she needed but on this day she insisted on coming with them. She said it was time for her to revisit the place she had been avoiding for so long. And while she was strong and sure at the time on the drive over he could see her start to sink further into her shell, looking more and more fearful. _

_He opened the door and the cold air greeted him. Since the rape even her roommates had been staying at friends houses, only coming home long enough to get a few things of their own. He entered first and looked around, checking for what exactly he wasn't sure but he checked nonetheless. _

_She slowly shuffled in, casting a furtive glance all around. She pulled on the long sleeves of her sweatshirt, covering her hands before wrapping her arms close to her. He wanted to cradle her in his arms but knew that he needed to give her space to deal, to heal. _

"_So what do you need?" Elaine asked, rubbing Kate's arm with her hands._

"_Um," Kate replied, putting her hand to her chin considering. "I wanted my favorite coffee mug from the kitchen. It's the blue one with a daisy that Hanna made for me in her ceramics class. Oh, and my vitamins." Elaine nodded and walked into the kitchen. He could hear her opening the cabinets in search of those items. Kate's eyes drifted to her closed bedroom door. _

_He walked up to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to go in you know?" _

_She bit the inside of her cheek and replied, "Yeah I do." _

_He squeezed her shoulder and she stepped forward turning the doorknob and entering the bedroom. She looked around the room like it was a strange foreign land that she didn't recognize. He and Elaine had cleaned up her room a few weeks before, wanting to erase any signs of that night so when and if Kate came back she wouldn't have to see it looking like it did that night. _

_She picked up a framed photo of her and Hanna when they were little girls from the nightstand, studying it carefully before setting it back down. She looked over at him and said, "This is weird. This is all my stuff, my personal things, but they don't feel like mine anymore." _

"_They are yours," he softly replied. "Everything in this room is yours and yours alone."_

"_Than why does it feel like somebody else's life?" she asked, her voice cracking with emotion. "I can't even feel myself in this room anymore."_

"_You're here," he replied, waving his hand around. He pointed to the closet. "These are your clothes, your shoes," he gestured to her dresser, "your socks, your jewelry, and your photos." He walked over and picked up a frame on her dresser. It was of her and a group of her friends at a bar. "This photo is of you celebrating with your friends after you got your first feature story in the college paper."_

_She looked back at him, looking like she wanted to believe but afraid to do so. _

"_These may just be things in this room but they are your things. They are yours and you need to reclaim them," he said. He was feeling desperate to force her to heal. He needed it as much as she did. "Kate, he's already taken so much, don't let him have everything else." _

XoX

The bell of the elevator pulled Jack out of his thoughts and he looked over to see Henry rushing out, one suitcase strap slung over his shoulder and his other hand pulling a suitcase with wheels.

"What's your hurry? Where are you rushing off to?" Jack asked as he stepped closer.

Henry spun around and looked at him, shocked by his presence. For one second that seemed to stretch out like an eon, the two men stared at each other, an understanding passing between them. Then, in one quick move, Henry swung his suitcase back around and sent it flying, aiming it squarely at Jack and knocking him down. Jack shoved the suitcase off of him in time to see Henry rushing out of the building.

He scrabbled up and chased after him.

With each step he could feel his knee throb with pain but there was no way in hell he was about to let this son-of-a-bitch get away now. He pushed open the front door so hard it broke off its hinges and slammed against the wall. He glanced both ways in time to see Henry running down the sidewalk, pushing his way through the crowd.

Jack raced after him shouting at Henry's retreating form and the people blocking his path, "Stay out of the way! FBI! You are under arrest! Freeze!"

He saw Henry turn back to look at him, checking to see if he had earned enough of a lead, only to knock down a middle aged man carrying a bag of groceries. Henry hit the ground with the man giving Jack a chance to try and catch up. Just as he started to get close, Henry leapt up and fumbled over the scattered items from the bag. He slipped on some spaghetti sauce from a broken jar and Jack saw him wince as he pulled a piece of glass from his thigh before jumping up and running again.

Jack reached the place where Henry had stumbled and slowed down long enough to see that the man Henry knocked down was okay and then picked up his pace in time to see Henry duck into a nearby alley. In the distance he heard police sirens wailing signaling that the Calvary was on its way.

He turned the corner into the alley and saw that Henry's leg was moving slightly slower due to the cut. Jack hoped this would help level the playing field and give him a chance to catch up.

"Stop! You are under arrest!" Jack shouted again as Henry hopped on top of a dumpster and started to climb the chain link fence that split the alley in two. Jack pulled out his gun and shouted, "Stop or I will shoot!"

Henry paused long enough to turn around and check before starting to climb again. Jack cocked his gun ready to fire when on the other side of the fence a police car drove up and two armed officers jumped out and aimed their weapons at Henry.

"Down! Get down right now!" they shouted as they neared the fence with their guns trained on Henry.

Behind him he could hear cars racing down the alley in his direction announcing that there was no place left for Henry to run.

Conceding defeat Henry released his grip on the chain link and dropped back down to the top of the dumpster. He started to raise his hands in surrender when, fueled with adrenaline and rage, Jack grabbed his ankles and yanked him hard, causing him to fall off the dumpster and onto the pavement.

Jack grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, pulling Henry's face up off the ground and punched him hard in the face. "You son of a bitch!"

"No!" he heard several voices shouting but he was seeing red and all he wanted was to spill the blood of the man who for all intents and purposes murdered a piece of his daughter by his actions.

He slammed a few more punches at him before Henry started to fight back. He used his arms to shove Jack away but for the first time in his life Jack was grateful for having some extra weight because he was able to stay firmly in place and punch Henry's face again.

He pulled back his arm to swing another hit when two pairs of arms grabbed him, pulling him off of Henry.

"Stop!" he heard Martin's voice yell. "Stop it, Jack!"

Suddenly, Martin and Paul shoved him back against the brick wall of the alley with Martin shouting, "Stop it! It's over!"

Still fueled by his fury Jack tried to shove the two men back but Martin stood his ground and refused to move. He grabbed Jack by the lapels and shouted, "It's over now! We have him."

"It's over when I say its over!" he spat back, looking between Martin and Paul's shoulders to see Danny handcuffing Henry.

"He needs to pay!"

Martin stepped forward and pushed him back up against the wall. "I said stop!"

Angered by Martin's interference he refocused his anger at him instead. "Damn it, Martin! What if it was your daughter? What if it was Grace? Are you telling me you wouldn't feel the same way? Because I know for a fact that you would want to do what I am doing right now!"

"You're right, I would!" he shouted back. "I would want to hurt him and make him suffer for what he did but I also know that if the situation were reversed that you would be standing where I am telling me it isn't worth it." He loosened his grip on his jacket and his tone went gentler but just as firm as he said, "All eyes are on you right now Jack, OPR, internal affairs, everyone. You risk losing it all. Your pension, your credibility, and even letting Henry get off if you don't calm the fuck down. And that doesn't help your family and it won't help Kate."

Jack felt his posture slacken as he processed Martin's words. His brain knew he was right but it was taking a moment for the message to reach his fists that were still clenched tight, aching to hit Henry again. He heard Henry's voice and looked back over.

"My lawyer is going to have a field day," Henry yelled as Danny pulled him upright. His cheek was bloody from the big gash from where Jack hit him. "He's going to get the case tossed for police brutality."

"And every officer here is going to say that you were resisting arrest," Danny replied, shoving Henry in the direction of the waiting police car. "We even have a sidewalk full of witnesses who are going to say that you were running so fast that you knocked a man down." Danny opened the back door to the bureau sedan and not so gently shoved Henry inside and slammed the door shut before looking over at Jack, giving him an exasperated nod

"Jack?" Martin asked. "You gonna be alright?"

He looked back at him and replied, "Yeah, I'm okay." At just the sight of Henry in the backseat of a police car he felt his pulse slow down and his heart wasn't thundering as madly in his chest. Henry wasn't going anywhere, they had him and he was on his way to jail. He took a deep breath. "I'm fine."

Martin eyed him, unsure if he was telling the truth or not before finally nodding his head and stepping back saying, "You got him, Jack. He's not getting away because of you."


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

XoXoXoX

Viv sat in her the chair in the room outside the visitor's area anxiously waiting to see Reggie, her feet tapping the floor in steady beat. After being officially discharged from the hospital Marcus wanted to take her home but she insisted that there was no way in hell she could relax until after she saw her son. So after a bit of arguing and negotiation she managed to convince him to come to the bureau building, have a visit with Reggie and then they would go home.

Unfortunately when they arrived Reggie was already meeting with a visitor so they had to wait until whoever was visiting with him was done. Since she still had some bureau connections they let her wait in the private room to the side where the agents conducted business rather then in the common area with the family and friends of felons waited to see their loved ones. She wondered if they also thought their own sons/fathers/brothers were as innocent as she believed Reggie was. But she couldn't allow herself to focus on them she needed to concentrate on the problems in her own family right now.

She scanned the room that was painted a dingy shade of pale blue with a floor of speckled ceramic tiles in a checkerboard pattern. There were two rows of chairs on opposite ends of the room. They were hard plastic chairs designed for easy cleaning as well as holding felons in place since they had shackle locks next to each seat. Fortunately she and Marcus were the only ones in the room so none of the locks were in use. She looked over at the guard sitting at the desk that was enclosed in a windowed room with a small hole for passing papers through. He met her eyes and gave her a thin smile before shifting his focus to the computer monitor.

She glanced at the clock mounted on the wall, the hands moving at a snail's pace. She released a heavy sigh and returned to focusing her attention on the tapping of her foot, anxious to see her only son already. Of course, as anxious as she was to see Reggie she was equally anxious to know who was here visiting him first.

Marcus moved his hand onto her knee, holding her leg in place, and whispered, "You promised me you were going to try and be relaxed."

"I'll relax when I see him," she replied, putting her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers. "I just need to see his face and make sure he's alright."

The door into the waiting room swung open and a young brunette wearing a tight fitting pantsuit walked past them towards the guard's cage. She flashed him her badge and said, "I'm here to transfer Reggie Johnson upstairs."

Viv released her hold on Marcus' hand, stood up and approached the young woman. "What's going on?"

The agent gave her an appraising look. "I'm sorry but this is federal business…"

"My name is Vivian Johnson and I am a former special agent," Viv replied, annoyed that she had to introduce herself to this child agent who barely looked like she was out of high school much less made it through Quantico. "I've been working with Agent Fitzgerald on the investigation involving Reggie Johnson. I'm also Reggie's mother and I demand to know why he is being moved."

The young woman's eyes darted between her and Marcus before she finally stammered out, "I'm not sure exactly but agent Fitzgerald told me to have him moved to an interview room upstairs."

"I get that but I want to know why?" she demanded, perturbed by the young woman's reluctance to share information. "What's going on?"

"Um," the young woman replied, sounding green and uncertain. "He just said that he was bringing in someone who may clear Mr. Johnson so he wanted him ready to go just in case."

"Who?" Viv asked, surprised and exhilarated by this news.

"It's okay, I got this Nora," she heard Samantha's voice say. She turned around and saw her old friend looking at her softly, giving her a thin smile. "Viv, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," she replied curtly before gesturing to Nora, adding, "This woman…"

"Special Agent Nora Hewitt," the perky young woman corrected.

"Agent Hewitt," she began again resisting the urge to roll her eyes, "said you have a new suspect that you're bringing in."

"Yes," Sam softly replied.

"That's great," Marcus chimed in enthusiastically, practically jumping out of his seat. He walked up and stood alongside her and asked, "So you're getting ready to release Reggie?"

Sam shook her head. "Not quite yet. We need to confirm some details which is why were moving him upstairs." Before they could ask any more questions she turned to Nora and said, "Why don't you finish getting the paperwork processed so we can move Reggie."

Viv waited until Nora stepped back over to the guard's cage and started filling out the forms before asking again, "Who is it?"

"I think it might be best to wait…" Samantha hedged.

"Samantha, cut it out. Who is it?" Viv interrupted, growing more impatient. "If he is setting up my son to take the fall than I think we deserve to know who it is."

"Honey, lets just focus on the fact that Reggie is in the clear now," Marcus said in a calm soothing voice. He placed his hand on her back and gave her a gentle caress. "This is great news. First Jack admitted that he was in the wrong and now this. I'm sure Samantha is just being judicious by not telling us yet."

Viv's hand shot up, the gesture silencing Marcus, and with her eyes on Sam she forcefully said, "Yes it is good news but Sam is being evasive and I want to know why. Who is the new suspect?"

Samantha looked away, hesitating. It was clear that she did not want to say but Viv refused to back down and kept staring at her waiting for her to give it up. Finally, with a pained expression on her face she breathed out, "It's Henry."

She felt Marcus' hand fall away as he asked, "Henry my graduate assistant? That Henry?"

Sam nodded solemnly. "A lot of new evidence came into light."

"That's crazy…" Marcus said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Are you sure?" Viv asked, an icy chill filling up her chest.

"Martin just called. They searched Henry's apartment and found some missing pages from Randi's diary and a souvenir from a previous attack in Ohio." Sam's posture was stiff and it was clear that she hated being the harbinger of bad news. "He's bringing him in for questioning after the EMT's finish checking him out."

"Check him out?" she asked. "What are they checking him out for?"

"He ran when he found out we were on to him," Sam replied, bowing her head and glancing over at Nora who was entering the back room before turning back to face them. "He got into a," she paused, editing her words, "He had to be taken down by Jack in order to make the arrest."

"This is too much," Viv said as she brought her hand to her forehead, a headache starting to form. Once again, her entire world tilted on its axis and everything she believed to be true was shifting and changing, becoming almost unrecognizable.

"Are you seriously telling me we invited a rapist and murderer into our home?" Marcus asked, incredulous. She glanced at her husband and could see the anguish evident on his face.

Sam didn't nod or agree, she simply said, "I'm sorry."

"Samantha?" They all looked over to see Nora escorting Reggie out of the waiting area. He was dressed in the orange jumpsuit they give all detainees and he looked exhausted. She met Sam's eyes. "We're ready."

Sam looked back at them and said, "I really have to get him back upstairs."

"Can I have a minute with Reggie?" Viv asked.

Sam nodded and replied, "Make it quick." She motioned for Nora to join her in waiting by the door, giving Viv and Marcus some privacy with their son.

She strode directly towards him, pulling him into an embrace. "How are you holding up?"

He pulled back and stared at her as he asked, "Is it true? Was it Henry?"

"I don't know," she replied, still unable to process everything. As thrilled as she was that her son may be in the clear it tore her up knowing that they still might have had a rapist and murderer in their mists and she didn't even recognize the signs. "Maybe."

"I'm so sorry, son," Marcus said as he pulled his son into a tight hug. She knew he was feeling some sense of culpability in all of this. While she knew that there was no way they could have known when he accepted Henry as his graduate assistant that this all would come to pass there was still some guilt that he should have been able to foreseen it. It was irrational but it was still very much real.

"It's not your fault, dad," Reggie said as he hugged his father back.

"I'm sorry, we really have to go," Sam announced, as she walked up to Reggie. She placed a hand on his shoulder to guide him out. "You can meet us upstairs and I will arrange for you to sit and talk there."

"Thank you," Viv replied gratefully.

Reggie smiled at them both before getting in step ahead of Sam and walking through the door that Nora was holding open. When they were gone she stepped close to Marcus, wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning against him.

She knew that while they were both happy that their son was going to be proven innocent they were both sickened by the fact that the other young man that she welcomed into her home and treated like a son may have not only been the one to rape all those women but also capable of murdering Randi and the night watchman and then proceed to try and frame her son.

Marcus pulled back and started to say something when they saw a familiar female figure standing in the doorway.

"Hanna," Viv greeted her. She wiped the tears threatening to spill from her eyes and walked up to the young woman and asked, "So you're the one visiting with Reggie?"

"Yeah. Hi Viv," she said with a smile before turning to look at Marcus. "Hello Marcus."

"Its good to see you," he replied, a clear smile on his face.

"It's good to see you, too," she replied, looking exhausted but still managing a smile. She looked at Viv and gently asked, "Would it be alright if I go up with you both to see Reggie? If they release him today I'd really like to be there."

Viv smiled, happy that her son had a woman like Hanna during a time like this. There were so many clear reasons that Hanna could have used to stay away from Reggie but clearly this woman could see the truth in him as much as she did. And for Viv, that truly meant something. So she stepped up and wrapped her arm around her shoulder and said, "Of course you can. You're practically family to me."

Hanna moved one hand around Viv and scratched her belly with the other as she replied, "Believe me, I feel the same way."


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

XoXoXoX

Martin stood at the window to the interview room and saw Henry sitting at the table talking to his lawyer. They seemed to be debating something and before Martin could wonder what, he saw Sam's reflection appear in the glass beside his.

"Reggie is in interview room three," she said as way of greeting. "Nora is standing guard but I also let Viv, Marcus and Hanna sit with him, too." She met his eyes in their reflections and winked, "I figured you wouldn't mind."

He smiled. "Making decisions without consultation, its like you're already acting like an SAC."

She returned the smile before shifting her focus to Henry. "He looks pretty self-assured, think you can get him to crack?"

He looked at the young man. He seemed confident and untouchable; too confident in Martin's estimation. "I think if we play to his ego we might get him to talk."

"This might help," Danny said as he approached. Both Martin and Sam turned around to see him and Paul walking towards them. He held up two evidence bags. "We found these in the lining of one of his suitcases." He handed a bag to each of them and pointed to the contents. "The missing pages from Randi's notebook and the locket taken from Kristi Pace back in Ohio."

He examined his bag and said, "With this we have a conviction even if he clams up." He lowered the bag and looked at Sam. "I think you should join me on this one. Having a woman authority figure in there might help." She nodded and started to the door while he nodded at Danny and Paul and said, "Stick around. I might need you to corroborate anything he might tell us."

"Got it," Danny replied, folding his arms and glancing at Henry. "I'll be happy to help do anything to nail that SOB to the wall."

"Same here," Paul agreed.

Martin patted Danny's shoulder and turned to enter the room behind Sam.

Henry's lawyer immediately declared, "I have advised my client to not answer any questions at this time. We are also preparing documents to toss the legality of his arrest due to the fact that it was made by the father of one of my client's alleged victims."

"Sit down," Henry ordered, giving his lawyer a disdainful look. "I know what I am doing so you can just shut up. Agent Fitzgerald is already aware of how the arrest went down. He was the one who had to pull Jack Malone off of me." He looked at him with such a creepy expression on his face that it made Martin's skin crawl. "I guess I should thank you for saving my life."

"It wasn't your life I was concerned with," Martin coolly replied as he and Sam sat down opposite them. "Because as I see it Agent Malone was just doing his job. Catching a murderer and rapist."

"Well then he has the wrong guy," Henry replied with a broad grin.

"Then explain why we found these items in the luggage you were carrying." Sam slid the clear plastic evidence across the table. "The very luggage you were planning on taking with you on your 5:40 flight to Portugal."

"I saw the warrants and they did not include searching his luggage," his lawyer argued.

Martin leaned back in his seat and motioned to Henry. "Well, see the thing is that your client threw the suitcase at Agent Malone so that qualifies as garbage which makes it public domain." He turned to Sam. "Or is it considered abandonment? I forget."

She shrugged. "If you ask me it could be either."

"Yeah," he nodded, "I guess it doesn't much matter since both give us full access to look through it all we want." He moved forward and rested his forearms on the table, his gaze fixed on Henry. "The thing I can't figure out is if you were planning on going on the run why in the hell would you keep this stuff? Seems pretty dumb for someone who had been acting so smartly up until now."

"Don't answer that," his lawyer ordered.

"Yeah, you better do as your told," Sam mocked.

"Shut up," Henry snapped.

Sensing a nerve had been pressed he and Sam shared a quick look. She glared at Henry and said, "In case you are too stupid to understand what's going on here I am the FBI agent and I tell you what to do, not the other way around. Or is that your problem, you can't deal with an empowered woman?"

"Don't…" his lawyer began when Henry turned to him and said to shut up.

Henry looked back at Sam. "You better watch it or..." he trailed off, his cheeks flushed and anger in his eyes.

"Or what?" she pressed, trying to antagonize him. "Because I know you aren't actually trying to intimidate or threaten me. Considering the circumstances that's a pretty," she paused for effect and finished, "impotent threat."

A flash of anger crossed Henry's face as he glared mutely back at Sam.

"Is that why you killed Randi?" Martin asked, watching the silent standoff between his wife and Henry.

Henry finally broke eye contact with Sam and replied, "I didn't kill anyone."

"Than why were you running?" he asked evenly.

Henry took a deep breath and started to regain some composure. "I knew by the way that Agent Malone was sniffing around this morning that he suspected me in his daughter's assault. Considering how he had attacked that man in the park a few months ago that he might also try and hurt me. I thought it might be best to make myself scarce until he calmed down."

"To most people making themselves scarce means hanging out at a friend's apartment," Martin replied, with an accusing tone. "Not booking themselves on a cross Atlantic flight to another country."

"Maybe my friend's apartment is in Portugal?" Henry answered with a smirk.

"Okay, let's say we actually believed you," Sam replied, thick with sarcasm. "That still doesn't explain why you had these items in your luggage. This evidence alone is enough to help convince a jury that you had a connection to the victims. Randi wrote down your name as a suspect in both the rapes in New York and Ohio. Once we get your DNA processed and match it to Kristi Pace it's pretty much a slam dunk case." She moved the bags closer to him. "So how about you just admit that it's over and tell us what happened?"

Henry reached over and picked up the bag with the pages from Randi's diary. He ran his fingers over the plastic tenderly. "I knew I should have burned these pages but I just couldn't bring myself to do it yet."

"Why not?" he asked.

"I wanted," he shook his head, "no, I needed to understand how she found me out, where I messed up. I thought I was being so careful when that bitch approached me..."

XoX

_Henry was wearing his hoody sweatshirt as he blended among the crowd exiting the Greek meeting. He did his best to contain his excitement. After the long hiatus he was going to satisfy his urge tonight and he already had his victim picked out. But first he had to make sure that Reggie followed his routine because if he was going to ensure that he remained the sole suspect in the investigations he had to make certain that he knew Reggie's kept his routine. _

_He knew that Reggie normally hung out at the library and the fact that the Greek meeting coincided on this night made it the perfect opportunity. So he left at the same time as the group and then walked around to the exit he was sure Reggie would use. He waited until he was certain that Reggie was going to follow his usual routine of wandering around until he could meet up with Hanna at midnight. That gave him just over two hours to do what he needed to do with Hanna before Reggie found her. He turned the corner in the opposite direction of Reggie and started towards the gallery were Hanna was working. _

_He was already tingling with excited anticipation. It been a long dry spell since Kate and now with the addition of Hanna, this would be his first set of sisters. That fact alone upped the thrill level. _

_He stopped at the crosswalk, the red hand blinking in warning for no one to cross. Traffic moved past him as he waited but the only sound he could focus on was the sound of his heart thumping madly in his chest. The crosswalk symbol changed to a luminous white man and he crossed. He walked along the sidewalk taking no notice of anyone around him, too focused on what lay ahead to care about what was behind him. _

_He neared the gallery and ducked into the adjoining alley. He knew that after hours Hanna used the back exit so he decided that would be the best place to wait. It was a long alley that ran the length of the street and was open on both ends to traffic. _

_He checked his watch: 9:52 pm, he was right on time. _

_He started to move behind a nearby dumpster when he heard a bottle roll behind him. He spun around and saw a female figure duck behind another dumpster. _

"_Who's there?" he called out as he carefully and quietly walked up to where she was. There was no reply so he stepped around to see Randi, Viv's student, cowering against the wall. "What are you doing here?" he asked, trying to sound friendly and upbeat, he wanted to sound casual and not make her nervous. _

"_Hi," she said softly. _

"_Hello. You're Randi right?" he asked, giving her a beatific smile. _

"_Yeah," she replied with a quick nod._

"_So, what are you doing here?" he glanced up and down the alley trying to look casual when really checking to see if anyone would be able to see them talking. "This is an odd place to just hang out."_

"_I, uh, I um," she stammered nervously before smiling at him. "I saw you at the library and I recognized you from that time we both had dinner at Vivian's house."_

"_Okay," he said. "But that still doesn't explain why you are here."_

"_Well, I was too shy to just come out and ask you but I thought maybe we could hang out sometime." Randi tried to appear casual but the beads of sweat on her brow and her shaky posturing gave her away. He knew she was lying to him. She laughed nervously. "I followed you."_

"_Oh," he replied smoothly. "I guess you found my short cut." He gave her a cursory once over and asked, "But why were you following me?"_

"_I wanted to talk to you and," she swallowed before releasing another nervous laugh."I guess this is a rather lame way to ask a boy on a date." _

_He smiled and stepped closer to her causing her to jump back. "Calm down," he soothed, reaching out to caress her hair but she flinched under his touch. "You act like that and I'm going to think you don't like me." _

_Her entire body began to shake but she continued to force a smile on her face to try and convince him. "No, I do, it's just…"_

_Suddenly the back door to the gallery swung open and Hanna emerged, chatting on her cell phone. _

_Henry immediately shoved Randi up against the brick wall, covering her mouth with one hand and wrapping the other around her neck to hold her in place. He leaned in close and whispered, "Shut up. You say one word and I will kill you and her."_

_Randi settled down but her eyes were wide and darting around, pleading. _

_Down the alleyway he could hear Hanna chatting on her cell phone. "I know but I can't tell my dad yet. I think calling it complicated is the understatement of the year." She slammed the door shut behind her, pulling on the doorknob to make sure it was locked before starting down the alley in the opposite direction. "I don't know yet. Maybe." They could hear each of her steps as she walked to the end of the alley and turned the corner out of sight. _

_He looked back at Randi and slowly lowered his hand from her mouth. _

"_It is you, you're the one," she gasped out, his hand still wrapped around her throat. "You're the rapist." _

"_Shut up," he warned, tightening his grip, his mind racing on what he should do. _

_Randi began to grow hysterical and cried. "It's you, all this time, it's been you."_

"_I said shut up!" he growled. _

"_It's you...how could you…?" she cried louder, struggling against him. She started trying to scratch at his arms to try and release his hold but it only made him angrier and he brought his other hand to her neck and squeezed. _

XoX

"For a woman who wanted to be an FBI agent she was lousy at tail people," he finished, shoving the bag back over.

Martin and Sam shared a knowing look. It was a tough pill to swallow knowing that one woman lost her life but if she hadn't been there he might have destroyed both of Jack's daughters. He looked back at Henry and asked, " And Louis Baird, the night watchman?"

"I didn't want to kill him but he saw me dumping her body in the river," Henry confessed without remorse. "He tried fighting me so I hit him with a rock and tossed him in after her."

Sam slid the pad of paper and pen over to him and said, "Write it down."

He looked down at the paper but made no move to write. Instead he picked up the baggy with the locket. "Don't you want to know about this one, too?" Both he and Sam remained silent, knowing he was going to talk no matter what they said. "It killed me to have to part with those other souvenirs in order to plant them in Reggie's room but I knew I had to do it." He smoothed out the plastic so he could look at the jewelry more carefully. "But this one I could never bear to give up. It has great sentimental value." He gave Sam a sleazy, evaluating look and working his tongue into cheek said, "No one ever forgets their first."

"Are you seriously trying to romanticize it?" Sam curtly replied. "Because I can guarantee you that these girls would gladly get lobotomized just to forget you."

Maybe it was the tone Sam used but whatever it was it set something off in Henry because he shouted back, "They got what they deserved!"

"Deserved? No one deserves to go through what you did to them," she yelled back, slamming her hand on the table. "You were a weak coward to do what you did. What's the matter you can't get it up the old fashioned way so you have to brutalize women?"

Henry leapt upright with such velocity that he knocked his chair back onto the floor. He reached out to grab Sam shouting, "Shut up bitch!"

Martin jumped up and grabbed Henry by the shoulders hard, slamming him down onto the table as Sam and the lawyer both scooted back. Even though he had him in a lock hold Henry was still shouting, "You are just like those other girls! You think you have total control but it's so obvious that you want it. You strut around, wearing your sexuality like it's your armor. You flirt with every guy they see, they sleep around. They need to be taught a lesson. They need to know that they aren't untouchable! There's a price for being a slut!"

Danny and Paul rushed into the room and helped shove Henry back up against the wall. Martin pressed his forearm to Henry's neck to restrain him. "Go ahead and give me a reason to hurt you."

Henry's lawyer stepped closer and said, "Release my client. I assure you he isn't going to do anything again." He looked Henry in the eyes. "That's right isn't it Henry? You're not going to do anything foolish."

Henry, staring daggers at Martin, replied, "You know your wife's a whore, too, don't you?" when he butted him with his head.

Despite the initial shock, Martin reacted by punching Henry in the side, knocking him down to the floor. Danny pushed Martin back while Paul pulled Henry into an arm lock. Danny gently shoved Martin to the door where Sam was waiting. "Maybe you can let me and Paul handle it from here."

Martin glared at Henry who looked remarkably unthreatening under Paul's grasp. "Yeah, you're probably right."

Sam pulled on his arm and guided them outside into the hallway. He was still wound up and agitated, his heart pounding in his chest and his fist aching for another hit as he rounded the corner to look through the window. Danny and Paul had Henry sitting in the chair while they stood on either side of him with Paul's burly hand on his shoulder holding him in place.

Sam came up beside him and said, "Hitting him was stupid you know?"

"Yeah, well, he hit first," he replied, rubbing his forehead. She reached up and grabbed his chin to move his face in her direction so she could examine his forehead. She ran her fingers over the area. "What do you think?"

"You're going to live," she replied before dropping her hands to the sides of his face and giving him a solid kiss. When she was done she pulled back and said, "But thank you for defending my honor."

He smiled. "Always."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A/N: Congrats to all of you who guessed right! ;D

Thank you all for reading. I know I demand a lot of each of you by writing such a long fic so I truly appreciate you joining me on this journey - which still has about 14 more chapters and then the epilogue. So don't start relaxing yet. I still have some other storylines to wrap up. However, I think now that this section is done it should go pretty fast and I hope to update daily so I can be done and get busy reading all those fics I am disgracefully behind on. Broni, Spyglass, and Stephell haunt my dreams...


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

XoXoXoX

Jack hovered around the corner at the end of the hallway, trying to remain hidden as he watched Reggie, Hanna, Viv and Marcus sitting in the interview room. Hanna was smiling as she reached over and grabbed Reggie's hand while he was saying something to his parents. Judging by the look of surprise on Viv's face they just told them that they were expecting. Both she and Marcus looked stunned and pleased as they stood up and embraced the young couple. He couldn't help but compare their reactions to his the night before. They were able to share a happy moment at the announcement of becoming grandparents while when he found out he just got into an argument with his daughter. He envied them; he hadn't the opportunity to experience the joy of a new member of the family quite yet.

Family.

It wasn't until this very moment that he realized that from this point on he and Viv's lives were going to be permanently connected. They were going to share a grandchild – maybe one of several. They were going to see each other at birthday parties, holidays and other events celebrating milestones in the child's life. But what will they tell the child about how his parents came together? Will they mention that his or her grandfather suspected Reggie of raping Auntie Kate? What of his precarious relationship with Grandma Vivian? Will it be able to return to the close knit one they used to share or are his actions irrevocable and they will just be polite in-laws? There was so much still unknown and he felt like the world was moving rapidly beneath his feet like some giant conveyor belt that he couldn't walk on with steady feet.

"Hey," he heard an intimately familiar voice whisper.

He closed his eyes, feeling instantaneously relieved at just the sound of Elaine's voice. He opened his eyes and turned around to see her watching him with a soft but perturbed expression on her face. Oh yeah, he thought, he still hadn't called her back.

He swallowed and gave her a sheepish grin. "Fancy running into you here."

She frowned. "Don't try and be funny. I'm pissed." She folded her arms, a defensive gesture he knew well. "When you didn't call me back – after I left several messages – I finally called Danny to find out if anyone had seen you today. He told me that you helped catch the real suspect this afternoon." She lowered her eyes and gave him a small smile. "That's good. I'm glad."

"Me too." He slumped back against the wall, his gaze fixed on her. "Danny told me that Henry gave them a full confession. He admitted to everything."

"That's good," she replied, her tone was gentle but cool. "A confession is good. Makes things easier."

"Yeah," he agreed. "I wanted to read it but Martin is holding it under lock and key. I suppose he doesn't want me to read the stuff about Kate."

"He's right," she replied, her posture softening. "Sometimes its better to not know it all."

He nodded, not quite sure if he agreed or not but willing to let it go right now. He offered her a small smile and said, "I'm sorry I didn't call you back. It's just I needed to be sure I was on the right track and then everything happened really suddenly afterwards."

She shook her head, frustrated. "Jack, I'm your wife and I want to know what's going on no matter what," she replied, stepping up next to him so she was leaning against the wall alongside him. "It hurts me more when you shut me out."

He turned his head to face her and he could see the disappointment on her face. "I'm sorry that I didn't call you back."

She shook her head. "It's not just calling me back. It's about not letting me in." She met his eyes. "We've both been married before Jack. We both know that when you start keeping things from your spouse, when you stop sharing important information with them that it's the beginning of the end."

He tensed up. "You think this is the end?"

"No, of course not," she quickly reassured before sighing heavily and saying, "I just need to know that you are never going to do this again."

"Well I'm retiring…" he began, trying to add some levity. After all, humor was his defense mechanism.

"Don't joke," she interrupted. "I'm really upset that during the first major crisis' to hit our family that you chose to keep me at a distance. This was a time when it should have brought us closer but you just pushed me out."

"I told you…" he began when she interrupted him.

"Yes, I know what you told me but listening to what I am telling you," she said in a tone that he recognized as the one she used in court. "You need to trust me to listen to your theories, ideas, whatever. You need to have faith that I will always be on your side. It hurts me to know that you didn't think you could confide in me or that you doubted I would believe in you."

Her words stung him. She was the last person in the entire world he would ever want to hurt; whether or not it was unintentional. Even after all the years they've been together there was still the part of him that was so used to having to go it alone. He reached out and pulled her into an embrace, she resisted him at first but finally relaxed in his arms. "I'm sorry if I hurt you or shut you out. I didn't mean to it's just…I got so focused on solving the case and when I realized how close I had come I couldn't see anything but catching the son of a bitch." She shifted so she could snake her arms around his waist and rest her head on his shoulder. "I just wanted to end this all so I could go home and tell you and Kate and Hanna that it was over. I didn't want to have see all of you one more time knowing that he was still out there and I was once again following a wrong lead. I needed all of you to know that I was able to do my job and make you proud."

"Honey, when are you going to learn that you always make us proud?" she murmured into his shoulder. "Just coming home everyday is enough."

He tilted his head so he could kiss her temple. "This is why I need you in my life. To remind me when I am being an idiot and reign me back in."

"It's practically a full-time job," she teased.

He laughed.

"Is there anything else you might be keeping from me? Now's the time to come clean," she said. Even though he couldn't see her he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Hanna's been seeing Reggie," he shared.

"Really?" she asked, sounding surprised. She snuggled closer and said, "Well that explains why she has been so scarce the last few months. Are you okay with the dating now that he has been proven innocent?"

"Well, I guess I have to be since she's pregnant," he breathed out.

She stepped back to look at him with a gaping expression. "Are you serious?" He nodded, for the first time feeling the excitement that he hadn't allowed himself to experience. "Oh my God, that is huge news." She playfully slugged him on the shoulder. "How could you not tell me that? You're going to be a Pop Pop."

"Pop Pop?" he asked with a distasteful expression. "I don't think so."

"Okay, so maybe you aren't exactly a Pop Pop. Maybe Papa Jack or just plain old grandpa." She grinned widely. "And that means I get to be Grandma Elaine. And I get to buy those cute little outfits with the bunnies or turtles or teddy bears…"

"You are pretty excited about this," he said, amused by her enthusiasm.

"A baby is great news," she replied, kissing him. They looked at each for a beat when she stepped back and said, "So I guess now I can ask you why you're lurking here."

"I'm not lurking," he replied, pretending to be insulted. "I'm…observing." She cocked an eyebrow at him and moved to see what or rather who he was looking at. He reached out to stop her but it was too late, she had a clear line of vision to the interview room.

He started to explain when she smiled and said, "An empty interview room?"

He came to stand behind her and saw that while he had been talking to Elaine everyone had exited the interview room. He reached out and took her hand in his. "Come on, let's go home. I need to talk to Kate."

She nodded and they walked to the elevator to head home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
A/N: Congrats to all of you who guessed right!

Thank you all for reading. I know I demand a lot of each of you by writing such a long fic so I truly appreciate you joining me on this journey - which still has about 14 more chapters and then the epilogue. So don't start relaxing yet. I still have some other storylines to wrap up. However, I think now that this section is done it should go pretty fast and I hope to update daily so I can be done and get busy reading all those fics I am disgracefully behind on. Broni, Spyglass, and Stephell haunt my dreams...


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

XoXoXoX

"Will somebody please answer the door?" Sam shouted as she pulled the lasagnas out of the oven and set them on top of the stove. She heard Martin shout back that he would get it while she removed her oven mitts and tossed them onto the counter. She examined the cheesy layer on top to see that it had bubbled and heated to a delicious shade of golden brown around the edges.

"Something smells good in here," she heard Danny say. She turned around to see he was still wearing the suit he had on earlier today at work. He walked up to where she was standing and examined the food. "So I'm guessing you didn't actually make any of this stuff, right?"

"Ha. Ha," she flatly replied. She hadn't made them, Frances did, but she still resented the accusation. She gently shoved him away from the cooling lasagnas with her elbow when Emma walked in, escorted by Grace.

Emma placed a salad bowl on the table before walking up to hug her hello. "Hey Sam, I'm sorry about Milo."

"I'm glad you guys wanted to come," she replied. When they broke apart she smiled down at her daughter and said, "Grace has been obsessed with making sure we give Milo a proper farewell and that means having other people over to say their goodbyes."

Danny swiped a carrot stick from the platter of veggies and fruit and waved his hand around the kitchen. "Is that why you have such a big spread?"

"Yeah, she insisted that we do it up," Sam replied as she smiled down at her progeny. All around the kitchen there were platters of veggies and fruit, the two lasagnas, a cake, and a bowl of chips. She and Martin guessed that she was mimicking what she knew from her grandmother Katherine's funeral so they were not about to deny her what she viewed as the right way to grieve and say goodbye.

"I've never really understood why people always bring food when someone dies," Danny wondered aloud as he plucked an asparagus spear and began nibbling on the end. He looked down at the little girl and asked, "Why do you think that is Gracie?"

"I think it's because when someone dies you are so sad that you have this empty hole inside you right here," Grace thoughtfully replied as she pointed to her chest, "and you need to eat food to stuff it up."

"Makes sense to me," he agreed; a small amused look on his face at the simplistic, childlike answer.

Sam smiled down at her daughter, pulling her close when a pack of boys entered the kitchen. All of the boys made a mad dash for the back door while Victor and Martin walked in leisurely behind them. Danny shouted for them to slow down and while they murmured, "uh-huhs," they were outside in a flash.

Martin adjusted his tie and looked at Gracie. "Should we get started?"

She nodded and grabbed Sam's hand so they could all go outside.

The boys were running around them as they walked, chasing each other and playing tag. She looked around, noticing that the sun had just started to set making all of the colors around look dark and vibrant in the tranquil, fading light. Sam looked up as she crossed the small patch of grass to see the sky was tinged bright pink before fading into deep purple and then dark blue. It was most likely chalked up to smog but she couldn't help but admire the coloring.

Victor got in step beside her and softly said, "Red sky at night sailor delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning." She tilted her head at him, a questioning look on her face and he added, "Just something we used to say when we would go sailing." He looked up at the sky overhead. "A pink sunset is a good omen. It means an auspicious burial for a beloved pet."

She smiled at him. "Red skies. I like it."

Grace released her grip and she watched as the little girl darted ahead to stand next to Martin by their makeshift altar. Earlier he had dug the hole at the foot of the tree where they were going to bury Milo's ashes. Next to the hole sat a cardboard box that he and Gracie had covered with a blanket and decorated with flowers and Milo's chew toys, collar and leash. On the top sat the box urn containing the dog's ashes next to their favorite photo of the Labrador. It was taken years ago on a trip up to Vermont. He was galloping through a river and had a big goofy grin on his face as he hurled towards the camera with a stick in his mouth, water splashing up all around him.

"Okay, we're starting!" Grace announced, quieting the boys who slowly shuffled their way to stand by the open hole. Nate wandered over to stand in front of her and she ran her hands through his short brown hair. Once everyone was gathered round, Grace began, "Tonight we are all here to say goodbye to Milo. He was a good dog. I've known him all my life." She looked up at Martin and tugged his sleeve, not so quietly whispered, "Your turn."

He nodded. "First, we want to thank you all for coming here tonight to say goodbye to Milo Fitzgerald." He cleared his throat and had a big smile on his face but she knew him well enough to know this wasn't as easy for him as he was making it look. "Milo was more than a dog to all of us; he was a member of our family. Actually, for me, he was the first member because there was a time when it was just the two of us."

Grace looked up at him and asked, "You knew him before me?"

Everyone laughed and Martin smiled down at her and replied, "I knew him before I even had an idea about you." She grinned and leaned against him as he continued, "Anyway, he helped get me through some hard times and he moved me to some fun times. I am going to miss him being there to witness the moments still to come but I will be forever grateful that I had the chance to have him in my life." He looked at the photo and finished, "Goodbye, Milo. I hope that heaven has lots of fire hydrants, chew toys, and warm sunny spots to take naps."

He looked up at everyone and smiled before meeting Sam's eyes. They shared a soft sad look, each understanding how much the loss of their beloved dog really meant.

"Okay, now you all go," Grace announced, pointing to the small gathering of mourners.

Martin laughed and gently corrected, "What my beloved daughter means is if anyone would like to share any personal stories please feel free to do so."

"Yeah, that's what I meant," she said, releasing a small giggle.

It was quiet for a beat so Sam decided to go next. She cleared her throat and said, "I'm going to miss rubbing Milo's ears between my fingers, they were silky soft and when I did it he would get sleepy, resting his head on my lap. I know it helped him relax but it also helped me relax too." She suddenly found her throat getting sore and her voice cracking, realizing just how much she was going to miss him, too. "I loved how whenever we went anywhere as a family he hated it when he couldn't see all of us. He insisted that he be able to keep an eye each of us, we were his pack and it was his job to make sure we stayed together. I'm going to miss him watching over us with so much love and affection."

Martin walked over and wrapped his arms around her and she rested her head on his shoulder as they listened to each person share a personal recollection about the burly Lab. Danny told them about how he would watch Milo whenever Martin took trips to Washington to see his family and the dog would always chew on his favorite pair of sneakers. Emma said that she could still remember how patient he was with the kids, especially when Mike and Diego tried to paint him red so he would look like Clifford, the Big Red Dog, from their favorite children's book. Eli and Nate talked about how fun it was to wrestle with Milo and have him chase them around. Mike said he always liked to play fetch and Diego added that he liked it when Milo would catch tennis balls and Frisbees in the air.

Even Victor managed to find a poignant story about Martin and Milo.

"When Martin was a little boy growing up he would always pester his mom and me about getting a dog," he began, in his usual even voice. "We wouldn't let him have one because we both traveled so much and he would often spend large chunks of time at his aunt Bonnie's so there wouldn't be someone home to really take care of a dog." She looked at Martin and saw him watching his dad, unsure where he was going with the story. "But Marty was relentless, he would always read books that were either about dogs or the main character had a dog companion. He would tell us about how a dog would help protect the house and the family because it would bark and scare people away. I could go on and on about how his seemingly endless list about how our lives would be so much better if we had a dog." He scratched the back of his neck and finished, "But when he we kept saying no he learned to accept it, sort of. Instead of asking us to get him a dog he started telling us about the kind of dog he was going to get when he was a grown up. His future dog would go running with him, play fetch, learn to shake, and do all of those great things that dog's do. And the thing that occurs to me right now is my son got his wish. He grew up and got a dog who not only did all of those things but also so much more." He smiled at Martin before fixing his gaze on Milo's photo and said, "So thank you, Milo, for being the dog my son always prayed for."

Just by the look Martin gave his father she knew he incredibly touched by his words.

When they were done they all stood there in silence for a long beat when Martin stepped forward and picked up the box containing Milo's ashes and lowered it into the ground. Using his hands, he started pushing the dirt into the hole when Grace jumped and pulled something out from behind the altar. It was her pink Barbie stereo. She pressed play and the song "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton began to play. Martin stopped what he was doing and looked over at her.

"Good choice," he said and Grace grinned proudly, holding the stereo as he got back to work.

The boys, never missing an opportunity to get dirty, each kneeled down to help use their hands to shovel the dirt over the box. With five pairs of hands they were able to quickly fill the grave. When they were done, Martin walked behind the tree and came back carrying the large rock that he and the kids had painted with Milo's name as the makeshift tombstone. He set it down on top of the now filled hole marking the dog grave.

When they were done they all wandered back into the house to eat so they could get busy trying to fill up that empty hole inside each of them left by Milo's absence.

Hours later, when the food was eaten and cleared and Danny and his family were long gone and her own kids fast asleep in their beds, Sam emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered. She rubbed lotion between her hands as she walked down the hall towards the living room where Martin sat lounging on the sofa drinking a beer and watching _Sports Center_. He looked over at her as she sat down next to him, pulling her legs up close to her so she was practically crouching on top of the sofa.

"I think it went pretty well," he said, his eyes flicking between her and the TV. "What do you think?" he asked, taking a drink of his beer and casually placing his free hand on her knee.

She reached over and took the bottle from his hand and blurted out the thought she had been thinking obsessively about for the last few days. "I think I want to go to Chicago next weekend and see my father." And then she promptly took a long drink, watching as Martin looked back at her with a stunned expression on his face.

"Wha…wow," he stammered out. "What suddenly brought this about? I thought for sure you were going to procrastinate for as long as possible."

She finally lowered the bottle, feeling the carbonation from the beer sitting in her chest. "Everything lately seems to remind me what I am missing by not knowing who my father is." She paused and ran her thumb over the lip of the bottle. "Jack risked so much for Hanna because he loves her so much. Marcus had an unfailing belief in Reggie no matter how much evidence to the contrary. And you know how much I adore the way you are with Grace and Nate." She took a quick drink and added, "And I think seeing how your father was tonight was the cincher."

He picked up the remote and clicked off the TV before turning so he could face her properly. "You know I really want you to do this," he asked and she nodded. He reached over and placed both a hand on each of her knees, his thumbs gently caressing her. "Are you sure you're ready?"

She knew what he was really asking her. He wanted to make sure she wasn't expecting him to welcome her with wide-open arms and be the father that he never was before. Just because every man she knew now was a great father it wouldn't change the fact that her father was still the same man who abandoned her, her sister and her mother. Martin wanted to be sure that if she were to go see her father and he denied her all over again that she would be able to survive it twice.

The truth was she had given it a lot of thought.

She took another drink and replied, "I won't lie. If it goes horribly than I'm going to be hurt," she paused and corrected, "devastated actually." She leaned in close to him and said, "But I think its time for me to just face it and know once and for all."

He smiled. "I'm glad." He reached over and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "That's a really mature decision."

She nodded and started to reply when she released a loud and pungent burp.

He turned up his nose at her and laughed. "Yup, real mature, that's my wife."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter 49

XoXoXoX

Viv clutched the cups of coffee tightly, hoping that the heat from the hot coffee would radiate through the cardboard to warm her hands. It was an unusually cool crisp Saturday morning in New York City but Central Park was still filled with morning joggers, elderly folks walking their pooches and other random people on their way to who knows where but certainly in a rush to get there fast.

She continued walking down the wide sidewalk towards the Conservatory Gardens, her eyes searching ahead for the man she was here to meet. She spotted him at the far bench wearing his usual casual attire: sneakers, blue jeans, dark blue button up shirt and his worn brown leather jacket. He had his hands tucked under his armpits for warmth as he stared straight ahead at two little boys flicking coins into the Bethesda Fountain.

"You're either wondering what they are wishing for," she said as she approached and Jack turned to face her, "or you are thinking that they are wasting perfectly good money."

She smiled at him, holding out one of the cups of coffee she picked up just for him. She purchased them at a diner around the corner where they still put the coffees to go in the classic blue paper cups with the phrase "We Are Happy To Serve You" in Greek letters between two pillars. She knew that Jack didn't like getting his coffee at hip coffee houses that blasted emo music and sold organic muffins for five dollars. She also knew that they both drank their coffee the same way, black with two sugars.

"So which one is it?" she asked, still holding out the olive branch disguised as a cup of coffee.

He accepted it and with a wry smile said, "A little of both."

She nodded and sat down next to him, taking a sip of her own coffee.

He had called her yesterday asking if they could meet up someplace to talk. She knew that he was trying to reach out and make amends. And while Jack Malone possessed the ability to aggravate her more than most, he was also so remorseful when he realized that he did wrong that it was virtually impossible to not at least be willing to try and forgive. He often reminded her of a stray puppy that followed you home. He shredded your slippers and peed on your carpet but when scolded would look at you with these incredibly sad eyes that made you forgive him thinking he was just doing what came natural to him.

Of course, part of her forgiving mood stemmed from the fact that he played an integral part in helping clear Reggie's name and Henry's arrest. Her joy at having her son back home safe and sound was marred by her grief at learning the real rapist and murderer was someone she thought she knew and could trust. It bothered her that not once did she even suspect Henry. She had thought he was a quiet, tender boy who was shy around girls. But after talking to Sam he was just holding in his resentment towards women until he could target it with an explosive furious rage. All this time, after all the days and nights he was over at their house, eating he cooking and sitting on her sofa, and she never even knew him at all. A wolf in sheep's clothing.

"Thanks for coming to see me," Jack said at last, removing the lid from his cup.

"I'll admit, I was surprised when you called," she replied. She could see the steam from the coffee as he brought it to his lips and took a drink. "I was certain that I was the last person you would want to talk to right now."

He looked at her. "Excuse me?"

She shook her head and released a heavy sigh. "I introduced Henry to Kate," she replied, feeling her face flush hot. "I can't help but feel this is somehow my fault. If I could have seen Henry for who he is…" she trailed off, too upset to continue. He released a loud booming laugh and she narrowed her eyes at him, annoyed. "What's so funny?"

"Feeling guilt and carrying the burden of responsibility is my thing," he said, shaking his head. "I won't let you take that away from me."

She smiled her first real smile at him in a long time. "Does this mean I can't feel the rage that you felt at having someone willingly harm your child? Because Henry Stoltzfus is very lucky he is in police custody. Because after trying to frame my son to take the fall for his crimes I would like to inflict some serious harm on him." Jack grinned at her and she continued, serious, "I'm not kidding. I'm talking old school Spanish Inquisition style hurt."

He gave her a hard look and in a low conspiratorial voice said, "I know a couple of correctional officers. We grease a few palms and I think we can get him alone in the prison laundry room." She looked at him, not quite sure if she believed him or not when he laughed again and said, "Gotcha." She laughed and shook his head as he brought the cup up to his lips to take another drink and quickly added, "But it feels good to think about doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it does," she quietly replied looking over to see that the boys were now walking around the edge for the fountain, their arms outstretched for balance. She lowered her eyes, studying the pattern on the cup. "How did Kate take the news?"

She heard him clear his throat. "As guess as well as could be expected…"

XoX

_He watched as Kate sat on the end of the sofa, absorbing what he had just told her. She was gnawing on her thumbnail, her eyes focused on the pillow she was clutching in her arms. She finally looked up at him and asked, "And you're sure it's Henry?"_

"_Yes," he replied, softly. In the background he heard the clinking of glasses where Elaine was busying herself washing dishes in the kitchen. "He confessed."_

_She nodded and some slow tears rolled down her eyes. "I knew him, dad. I had dinner with him. He was nice to me." She shook her head, wiping her cheeks. "How could he do this? How could he do what he did to those other girls, to Randi, the night watchman…?"_

"_I don't know how he could do what he did but I promise you, he's going to pay for what he did," he vehemently replied, standing up and going to sit next to her. "He can't harm you or anyone else ever again." _

"_I know I should feel better knowing that he is behind bars," she said, rubbing the pads of her fingers under her eyes. "Having a face to blame. But," she swallowed, "but I knew him. I split a piece of Viv's homemade cherry pie with him. I sat across from him and he was thinking…" she trailed off shuddering. "How am I supposed to trust anyone again? How can I trust myself, my instincts?" her voice cracked, "How am I supposed to feel safe again and not be terrified that every man I meet might want to harm me?" _

"_Kate," he began, reaching out and wrapping his arm around her and hugging her close. He couldn't lie to himself, there was a part of him that thought having arrested her assailant would magically heal her and make everything better. Despite his dark demeanor there was still an optimist in him that loved happy endings. "There are no guarantees, as much as I wish there were. But people don't come with warning labels." He rested his chin on the top of her head. "If they did can you imagine what mine would say?"_

_She sighed into his hug and replied, "It would be very long."_

_He smiled that she was able to joke during this time. "My point is," he gently said, "That it's going to take some time but one day in the future you will be able to trust yourself enough again to trust someone else. You have great instincts. You trusted Reggie when you could have very easily blamed him."_

"_That's because I've known him since like forever," she replied, fiddling with the tissue in her hands. _

_His chest tightened. He had known Reggie since he was a little boy, too, but his faith in him was shaken the moment he was named as a suspect. He had no problem doubting the young man when he thought he harmed one of his daughters. But he couldn't dwell on that now. "And that's why someday you are going to find someone you can place your faith in again; someone who is worthy and has a good heart. It will just take time but you will find it be true." He tightened his hug. "In the meantime you can still trust me, your mom, your sister, Elaine, and all your friends who have stuck by you."_

"_And you?" she asked, her eyes watching him carefully. "Are you going to be able to trust Reggie now that he has been proven innocent?" She smiled and added, "I mean, he and Hanna are having a baby." _

_He narrowed his eyes at her and smirked. "I will trust him as much as I trust any boy involved with one of my daughters."_

XoX

"I know that arresting Henry wasn't going to magically make everything all better but I have noticed that the last few days she has been a little closer to herself. Or how she used to be," he replied, taking another long drink. "According to Elaine, she's been writing again. We think that's a good sign."

"My heart breaks for her," Viv softly replied. "But she is strong like you. I have faith that she will be okay."

He leaned back on the bench and asked, "So what about us? Do you think we're going to be okay? Are we ever going to go back to being friends again?"

She stared straight ahead to see that the boys from earlier were now gone, an older man wearing a derby hat sat on the ledge where they were playing eating a bagel. "I don't know," she honestly replied. "We both said some things that we can never take back." She tilted her head side to side, thinking. "But we've weathered a lot of things in the past and still remained friends." She turned to face him and finished, "And of course, now that our kids are having a baby we are pretty much stuck with each other in our lives."

He smiled. "Can you believe that?"

"No," she laughed, taking a drink of her coffee. "Needless to say I was bowled over when they told us."

XoX

_They were all sitting in silence, each of them anxiously waiting to find out how Henry's interrogation was going. She wanted to go out and find out for herself but she promised Sam that they would stay put until she fetched them the moment she heard anything. She watched as Hanna and Marcus made idle chit chat about how her installation was going. She could see the affection in her son's eyes as he looked at Hanna talking animatedly about her work. _

_When Hanna was done talking she smiled at the young woman and said, "I'm glad that you're here Hanna." She winked at her son. "I can tell that Reggie really cares for you."_

_She smiled. "That's good because I'm pretty crazy about him, too." _

_Reggie cleared his throat and said, "Actually, we were going to wait to tell you but I guess now is as good a time as any," still smiling Hanna reached over and grabbed his hand, "We're having a baby."_

_Dumbstruck. There was no other word for it. She stared back at them in disbelief for what couldn't have been longer than a few seconds as they both watched them, waiting for their reactions. She finally found her voice and asked, "Come again?"_

"_Hanna's pregnant," he repeated, watching her and Marcus carefully. "You're going to be grandparents."_

"_Oh my god," she said, sharing a look of stunned disbelief with Marcus. "This is huge news."_

_He grinned widely and said, "Wow, this is…congratulations!"_

_They both immediately stood up and walked around the table to hug them. _

XoX

"Right after they told us Sam came and told us that Reggie was free to go home so we didn't have much time to digest it," she finished. The truth of the matter was she was very conflicted. While she really liked Hanna, she had only just learned that they were dating and now on the eve of the drama with Reggie was coming to an end they announced that they were going to have child. "Its exciting but its just happening…"

"Really fast?" Jack finished.

"Yeah," she agreed, a flicker of that familiarity they used to share returning. "But as my own grandmother used to say, 'What's done is done.'" She took another sip of her coffee. "Even though I have some reservations about how quickly this all came about I have to admit, I'm excited about having a grandchild."

"I won't lie," Jack replied, putting the lid back on his cup and setting it down next to him. "I wasn't enthusiastic about it at first but it is pretty cool. Of course, I think Elaine's excited enough for all of us. She's already offered to babysit whenever they want. I think if they let her she'd have the baby over all the time."

Viv narrowed her eyes at him and quipped, "She's going to have to get by me first."


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

XoXoXoX

"How's your frozen hot chocolate?" Emma asked, a glint of humor in her eyes.

Danny nodded enthusiastically since he couldn't verbally reply, his mouth filled with the delicious slushy confection. He swallowed as he moved the fishbowl of the signature dish at Serendipity 3 closer to her and said, "Have a taste."

"No, it's yours," she replied, sounding like she wanted to be asked again.

He winked at her. "I insist."

"If you insist," she replied with a smile as she brought one of the straws to her lips. As she gobbled up some of the sweet chocolate treat he glanced around the shop. It was a landmark restaurant in New York City. It was decorated like a classic small Victorian ice cream parlor complete with the crown molding and Tiffany lampshades. When she was done she pushed the bowl back towards him. "It's as good as I remember."

"Yup," he said as he scooped up another portion and ate it.

She was the only one who didn't order a dessert, claiming she needed to watch her figure. But he knew her well enough to know that the sundaes were entirely too big for their sons to finish on their own so she was going to be the vulture who helped finish them by "sampling" each of their sundaes; several samples to be exact.

As if on cue she held up her spoon and asked Eli, "Can I taste yours?"

He nodded, his lips covered in gooey fudge and watched as she dug in. She pulled out a big heaping spoonful of vanilla ice cream and hot fudge and happily ate it.

They decided to treat themselves on this Saturday and have lunch at Serendipity 3 after their session with Dr. Jaffe declaring it to be a good day for the Taylor family. The weekly sessions with the gentle natured family therapist have become very helpful for the entire family and it seems like they found themselves almost looking forward to it. Today was one of those days when Danny found himself feeling thankful for how much he better he got to know his sons as a result of the sessions.

XoX

_They were all gathered into Dr. Jaffe's office, he and Emma were sitting on the loveseat while the kids were gathered around the fun center table playing. Eli was loading the back of a toy dump truck with whatever he could find while Diego had a toy helicopter that he was moving in the air making the chopper sounds and Mike was wrestling two plastic action figures. _

_Dr. Jaffe sat in his leather chair, pen and paper in hand, and asked the boys, "So what did you guys do this week?"_

_Eli shrugged, too engrossed in playing with the dump truck. He finished filling the back with whatever loose toys would fit, dumped them out and then refilled and repeated. Mike and Diego however happily shared the details of their week. Including the incident when they staged a crime scene in the lobby, scaring their elderly neighbor. _

"_You should have seen her face!" Mike said, holding his hands up and motioning to his face. "When she found out we were goofing off she started yelling. Her face got all red," He looked over at Emma for confirmation. "Right mom?" _

"_I would definitely say she was mad," she replied, shaking her head with a smile. She looked over at Dr. Jaffe who was chuckling softly. He confided in Danny that he enjoyed the sessions with Mike and Diego because they reminded him of all the trouble he used to get into when he was a boy. "But they both apologized and will be taking out her garbage for her for the next month." _

"_Oh yeah," Mike said, for the first time looking remorseful about his prank. The only time his sons showed remorse was when it resulted in having to do penance. _

_Diego slumped back on his heels and softly said, "We went to Milo's funeral, too."_

_Dr. Jaffe gave Diego a sympathetic look and asked, "Were you close to Milo?"_

"_Yes," he replied solemnly. "He was fun to play with."_

"_So he was a friend?" he asked and Danny noticed him write something down in his notepad. _

"_Yeah," Diego stood up and sat on the ottoman, idly playing with the toy helicopter he had been holding. "He liked to play ball and he was the best catcher."_

_Dr. Jaffe uncrossed and re-crossed his legs as he focused his gaze on Diego. "Really? What else?"_

_Not wanting to be left out, Mike said, "He also like to play with Frisbees. He would catch them in his mouth."_

"_In his mouth?" Dr. Jaffe asked, wide eyed. _

_Realizing that he was under the wrong impression, Danny leaned forward and corrected, "Milo was a dog."_

"_Oh," Dr. Jaffe replied, shaking his head embarrassed. "So you went to a funeral for a dog?"_

"_He was our best friends dog," Danny explained, leaning back and resting his arm on the back of the sofa behind Emma. "They wanted to give the kids a chance to say a proper goodbye."_

"_I see," he replied with a sympathetic smile. He looked back at where the boys were sitting and asked, "And do you think you gave the dog a proper goodbye?" _

"_Yeah," Mike replied. "They buried his ashes, we all said stuff that we liked about Milo and we ate a lot of food. A lot." _

_Danny shared a bemused look with Emma when Diego whispered, "It was sad." _

_He looked at his son who was using his index finger to spin the plastic rotor blades on his toy helicopter. He was caught off guard by this admission. He seemed fine the day of the funeral, running around and playing with his brothers and Nate. He even managed to eat almost an entire piece of lasagna and some chips. By all accounts he seemed unaffected by Milo's death. _

_Dr. Jaffe leaned forward and with his fist under his bearded chin said, "It is sad because someone you loved has passed on." _

"_I wasn't sad for me exactly," Diego carefully replied, looking self-conscious at being the focus of everyone's attention. "I was mostly sad for Uncle Marty and Auntie Sam and Nate and Gracie. They loved Milo and now they will never get to see him again. I was sad for them." _

_Emma shifted so she could lean forward and look directly at Diego and Danny did the same. She gave their son a soft look and said, "You didn't tell me or your dad that you were feeling sad." _

"_I'm not," he adamantly replied, shaking his head. "I mean I'm sad that Milo died but I don't feel sad." He ran his hand over his stubbly hair and sighed. "I just…I just mean, it made me think how happy I am that I am getting better because not everyone who has leukemia gets better," he sat back and smiled at them, "that's all."_

_Dr. Jaffe smiled at Diego. "You should feel happy that you are getting better. It's good news."_

"_Yeah, duh," Mike quipped when Danny shot him a warning look. Looking properly chastised he lowered his eyes and sat next to his brother on the ottoman._

"_I'm glad that you're happy, mijo," he said, reaching over to loving tap his son's shoulder. "Your mom and I have been happy, too." _

_Diego smiled. "Oh, we've noticed," his eyes darting over to his twin brother's, "haven't we?" _

_Mike giggled and looked over at Dr. Jaffe, and said, "Yeah, they've been all kissy kissy lately," he puckered his lips and made kissing noises. _

_Eli started laughing too, holding his belly and falling onto his side and Diego followed his brother's lead and wrapped his arms around himself, pretending to be holding someone in an embrace as he murmured, "Te amo…yo quiero…I love you…" _

_Danny watched as Emma lowered her head, blushing brightly at the kids opening mocking of them in front of Dr. Jaffe but when she covered her mouth with her hand he knew she was trying not to laugh, too. Deciding to play along, he pulled her into a hug and started planting small butterfly kisses all over her face and said, "I'll show you kissy kissy."_

_The boys all burst into a genuine laughing fit he stopped and looked over at Dr. Jaffe who had an amused expression on his face, shrugged and said, "What can I say? I love my wife."_

_Dr. Jaffe chuckled, causing his shoulders to shake, and raised his coffee cup and replied, ""It is good for husband to love his wife. Mazeltov."_

XoX

It was one of the best sessions they had in a long time. It was the first time they were all actually happy and excited about what was going on, looking forward to living their life again.

He took another spoonful of his dessert when Mike asked him, "Dad, can we watch _The Incredibles_ when we get home?"

"Sure, I don't see why not," he replied, licking his spoon.

The boys all started rapidly talking amongst themselves about their favorite parts from the film and repeating the lines from scenes that they found particularly funny. As they talked he watched as Emma stealthily stole spoonfuls from each of the boys' sundaes, practically stuffing her mouth with ice cream and hot fudge. She caught him watching her and she smiled, a little bit of chocolate at the corner of her lips.

He knew he loved his wife. It wasn't a big revelation to him. But it was at moments like this that it hit him like a gale force wind just how much he was in love with Emma. Sure she was smart, beautiful and kind but it was when she was goofy that his heart would just swell with love for her. And he would give a silent prayer thanking God for bringing her into his life.

But he was not about to have emotional outburst in an ice cream parlor.

So he picked up his napkin and reached over, wiping her mouth. With a loving smile he said, "You better be careful, you're going to get a brain freeze."

She swallowed as he moved the napkin away and said, "My brain will be just fine thank you." She laughed and leaned over the table, kissing him. "But thank you for worrying."

"Aw man, we're in public!" Mike shouted, lowering his head pretending to be embarrassed.

"Yeah," Diego agreed while Eli just grinned, his face smeared with ice cream and chocolate.

"Alright, alright," Emma replied, holding up her hands in surrender. "Fine, we'll stop. You don't like your mom and dad kissing in public, I get it."

"That's right," Mike firmly replied.

She sat back down, laughing softly, reaching over and gently patting Eli's back winked at Danny and said, "But what about moms and dads kissing their sons?" She pulled Eli into a hug and started kissing his smudged face.

"Yeah," he agreed, wrapping one arm around Mike and another around Diego, pulling them towards him and alternately kissing each of them as they tried to wiggle away from him.

Yes, today was a good day for the Taylor family.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

XoXoXoX

"Hello, I have a reservation under Samantha Spade," Samantha said to the woman behind the counter of Hotel Sax. While the young woman typed her name into the computer she glanced over her shoulder to see Martin talking to the car attendant. After he gave the car keys to the valet and it was driven off, he realized he didn't have his wallet on him. So now he needed the valet to give him the keys and tell him where it was parked in the garage so he could go search for it, telling her he would just meet her up in their room later.

"Here you are," the young woman announced and Sam turned around. "We have a double occupancy in a Deluxe King. Is that correct?"

"Yes," she replied, handing the woman her credit card for processing. It was taking every effort she had to concentrate on this simple transaction knowing she was in the same city as her father and she was going to see him in less than two hours.

"You are in room 1013," the clerk said, sliding back her credit card and a paper folder. "Here are your room keys."

Sam pulled one out and handed it back. "Can you please hold this for my husband and let him know what room we're in. He should be back in about fifteen minutes."

The clerk nodded and Sam pulled her small suitcase towards the elevator. It immediately opened up and she boarded. She pressed the button for the tenth floor and she leaned back against the wall as it ascended.

Once she was ready to commit to making contact with her father she quickly booked the entire family on a flight to Milwaukee. She decided that this would be a great opportunity to see the entire Spade family. She called her mom, Diane, and said that she and Martin were going to meet up with his old frat buddy and his wife in Chicago and if it would be okay to leave the kids with her for a weekend. She knew her mom wouldn't refuse a chance to see her grandkids. And it wasn't a complete lie. His friend Charlie lived in Chicago, they just weren't planning on seeing him. She hated lying to her mom but decided to not tell her mom or sister what she was really doing because she didn't know how it was going to end up. And she really didn't want to hear her sister try and talk her out of it again.

It was hard to not talk about it though, especially since they spent the previous night at her mom's house.

XoX

"_So you must be excited to go see your friend," Diane commented to Martin as she passed him the mashed potatoes. _

_He took the bowl and glanced at Sam as he served himself. "Yeah, it'll be good to catch up," he lied. _

_She averted her eyes, afraid that her mom would see their glances and know that they were lying. While she was certain that her mom didn't notice the exchange she knew that her sister, Bridget, would so it was best to just not look at Martin too much when she was around. Instead she focused on making sure Nate wasn't making too much of mess with his peas. He liked to eat them one by one. He was careful about eating such small pieces of food, delicately plucking each one and placing it on his tongue to eat it. That or he would just squish them between his fingers to make a green paste._

_Since they were only in Kenosha for one night before taking the rental car up to Chicago her mom wanted to have the entire family over for dinner. This not only meant her, Martin and the kids but also her sister, Gus, her niece, Terry and John McCoy, her mom's boyfriend. _

"_Can we go to your house tomorrow?" Grace asked John, as she gnawed on her drumstick. The little girl had taken a liking to him immediately since he had a loud booming voice and loved to talk as much as she did. _

"_You betcha," he replied. The last time they visited they all went up to John's house for the afternoon. He owned a small farm on the outskirts of town where he kept some mules, a goat, and a large chicken coop. To a little girl living in New York City the animals were exotic and incredibly fascinating. He wiped his bearded chin with a napkin and said, "I got a couple of cows now. You should see them."_

_Sam smiled as both Nate and Grace listened with wonder as John went on to describe his cows and how to best milk one. Even Terry and Martin managed to look equally interested and disgusted when he started talking about how to best grip the udders to get a nice steady stream. _

_She turned her head to look at her mom who was smiling affectionately as John talked. It was nice to see her mom dating someone that who she not only adored but also clearly adored her in return. She could see that John was a good guy and it made her happy to know that her mom had someone like that in her life. _

_Then her heart sunk knowing that tomorrow she was going to go see the man who made her mom sad and unhappy for many years. She wondered what it was going to be like seeing him again. Would he cry and beg for her forgiveness? Would she be able to give it if he did? Or would he yell and tell her to get lost and that he never wanted to see her again? Would she punch him in the face if he did? Or would he be ambivalent and not care? None of those scenarios pleased her so she just shook her head and decided to stop dwelling on something she had no idea would turn out. _

"_Sam?" She turned to see Bridget watching her. "Have you been listening to anything I've been telling you?"_

"_Sorry," she apologized. "I kind of spaced out. What were you saying?"_

"_I was just wondering if you were still investigating that missing person case you were telling me about," Bridget asked. It didn't take her training at Quantico to decipher that she was asking about the search for their father. _

_At that instant she wanted to spill her guts and tell her sister that she had found their father, that he was living a half-hour away, that she was going to go see him the next day and then drag her along so she wouldn't have to confront him alone. Sure she had Martin but he had never even met her father, he only knew what vague details Sam could recall. But the disappearance of Max Spade was something that haunted her and her sister for years. Only she would understand just how huge this was. But her sister wanted nothing to do with him so she smiled and lied, "It's ongoing. No solid leads yet." _

_Bridget nodded, the smallest flicker of emotion crossing her face. For a split second Sam thought she saw disappointment before Bridget smiled broadly at her mom and said, "This is the best fried chicken friend steak you've ever made."_

"_Well, thank you," Diane proudly replied, tickled pink at the compliment. "I found the recipe in Good Housekeeping." _

"_Do you drink the milk?" Grace asked John as she carefully pulled apart her biscuit. _

"_Sure we do," Diane interjected. "In fact I used some it to make the biscuit you are eating." _

_Both Grace and Nate stopped what they were doing and stared at the flaky biscuit in their head, reverence on both their small faces as they murmured, "Wow…" _

XoX

The elevator stopped on the tenth floor and Sam made her way into their room.

The hotel room was decorated in a chic contemporary fashion complete with a king size pillow top bed with a padded headboard. She parked her suitcase by the desk and sat down on the classic wing chair, turning on the reading lamp. She wanted to be still but the weight of this momentous day refused to let her so she stood up and started unpacking the suitcase. She started hanging up some things in the closet when the door opened up and Martin appeared.

"Find your wallet?" she asked, putting one of her blouses on a hanger.

"Nope," he replied, sounding exasperated. "I called your mom and sure enough, I left it on the nightstand at her house." He put the card key on the desk and sat down on the bed. He bounced up on it a few times, as if testing its firmness, before sighing and looking sadly at her. "I'm sorry but we are going to have to use your card to cover our expenses."

She smiled at how guilty he sounded. "It's a joint account. It's not like you're not paying for this trip."

"I know," he replied, looking disappointed. "I just didn't want you to have to worry about anything on this trip. I wanted to do what I could to take care of you."

She nodded solemnly. "Being here with me is enough." He gave her a sheepish grin and she smiled at him as she pulled her makeup bag from the suitcase and walked to the bathroom. She stood in front of the sink and studied her reflection in the mirror, scrutinizing how she looked. Or rather how she would look to a father she hadn't seen since she was six years old. With an unexplained urgency she decided that she needed more lipstick. So she unzipped the bag and pulled out the small tube of Bobbi Brown lipstick and carefully applied it to her lips when she saw Martin appear behind her.

"What time is the reservation for?" he softly asked as he leaned against the doorjamb.

"Two," she replied, seeing him check his watch. She couldn't quite figure out how to make contact with her father so she decided to book her and Martin on one of his afternoon tours. This way she could watch him unobserved and try and find some way of introducing herself. She finished applying the lip color and lowered her head. As she carefully twisted the lipstick back into the tube she asked, "What time is it?"

"One fifteen," he replied, stepping into the bathroom and tenderly placing his hands on her shoulders. She nodded and replaced the cap on the lipstick, sticking it back in the bag. "You ready for this?"

She wasn't, not really. But it was time so she took a deep breath and finally looked up, met his eyes in the mirror and breathed, "I'm ready."


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

XoXoXoX

Martin lingered along the railing of Navy Pier and glanced around at the crowd of cruise goers while Sam stood over at the booth paying for their afternoon boat tour. Many of the people were senior couples mingled with younger families. He watched as a brother and sister leaned on the railing to look at the water below. They were chatting excitedly and pointing to the boat, arguing where each one was going to sit. They both wanted to sit on the ends so they could look over the side of the boat.

He smiled at them as they argued the merits of which side would be better for the best possible view. He couldn't help but think that Grace and Nate would have enjoyed an outing like this. Both of his kids loved any type of boat activity as much as he did. But this was something that he and Sam needed to do without the kids. Besides, he knew they were having just as much fun watching John milk his cows or collect eggs from his chicken coop.

He looked over at the boat to see a few men lingering on the upper deck. He squinted trying to see if he spotted Samantha's father but two of the men had their backs to him making it impossible to decipher what they looked like. Not that he was sure he could recognize the man if he were facing him. There wasn't even a driver's license photo they could reference since a computer glitch by Chicago MVD erased his photo. Fate conspired against them via a newbie date entry clerk and his spilt coffee.

He hadn't even seen a picture of Samantha's father before last night and it was over thirty years old.

XoX

_He hadn't been asleep that long when he felt some movement behind him. He opened his eyes, blinking as they adjusted to the dimly lit room. It took him a moment to process that he wasn't in his own home but his mother-in-law's guest room. He rolled over to find Sam sitting up on her side of the bed, an old weathered shoebox on her lap. _

_She noticed the movement and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."_

"_S'right," he mumbled, sitting up next to her and looking inside the box to see that it was filled with photographs. He rubbed his eyes and asked, "What are you doing?"_

_She flipped through photo after photo. "I was laying here thinking about tomorrow and I suddenly thought: what if my memory of him can't be trusted? Maybe I wouldn't be able to recognize him?" She discarded the stack of photos she was done with and picked up another. "So I dug up this old box that my mom had in the garage. I knew she had destroyed a lot of them right after he left, she was so mad, but I thought for sure she would have kept at least one," she flipped through a few more, "but so far nothing."_

"_I can help," he said, reaching into the box and sifting through a small stack. _

_He was pretty sure he would be able to recognize someone who looked like a father in the multitude of photos that predominately featured just the three Spade women. He smiled as he flipped through photo after photo of Sam and her sister growing up. There was a picture of a sullen Samantha around age 16 sitting on the sofa in the middle of her mom and Bridget next to a campfire. Then there was another picture of her and Bridget wading in a plastic child's swimming pool next to a trailer. _

_They both wore matching bathing suits and were laughing, their hair dripping wet as they splashed around. He made a mental note to ask Diane if he could keep this one, wanting to add it to their album back home. While it was filled with photos of his family and the kids, there wasn't very much of Sam as a child. She never complained about it, she simply said that there weren't that many happy Kodak moments for her growing up. But here in his hand he had some proof and he wanted to keep it so she could look at it and remember. _

"_Check this out," he said, holding it up for her to see. _

_She stopped what she was doing to look at the photo. "Wow," she said with a smile. "I look just like Grace in this picture."_

"_I know," he replied, watching her profile as she studied the photo. "It looks like you both were having a lot of fun."_

_She nodded. "Sure does." She turned the photo over and on the back in what must have been her mom's handwriting was written, "Sammie and Bridget, Summer 1982" She turned it back over and said, "I was about seven when this was taken. It's hard to believe I was ever so little." _

_She handed the photo back to him and he said, "Well now we have proof." _

_She nodded and returned to her own search. After a few minutes of searching through the stacks of photos he heard her breath catch as she held one up for him to see. _

"_Found one," she breathed out as he held one up for him to see. "This is my father." _

_Intensely curious, he took the photo to see some actual photographic evidence of Max Spade. Based on the clothes it looked like it had been taken in the mid seventies. In the center of the photograph was a thin man with dark brown hair leaning against a brick wall smoking a cigarette and holding a baby in his arms while a small toddler girl had her arms wrapped around his leg. He was staring directly at the camera, a blank expression on his face. If he were to guess her father was about twenty years old when the photograph was taken. _

_She leaned in next to him so they both could look at the photo. "That's Max Spade." She grew quiet, her eyes transfixed on the image looking pensive. _

_He pointed to the bundle her father was holding. "And that must be you." _

_Her lips curved up into a small smile and breathed out, "Yeah." She pointed to the little girl in the photo who had a cherubic smile and curly pigtails. "And that's Bridget. Look how cute she was." Without breaking her eyes away from the photo she rested her head on his shoulder and said, "He looks so young. In my mind I always remember him being so much older." She moved in closer and he could feel her warm breath on his neck as she talked. "I guess it's easy to think that your parents are old when you're just a kid but in reality he and my mom were practically kids themselves when they had us."_

_He nodded, studying Max's features. "You have the same nose," he softly commented. He knew that nose well. His daughter had the same one, too._

"_Yeah we do," she whispered, touching her own nose with her index finger. _

_They sat there in silence, just staring at the photo as if it was going to provide some answers as to why five years after the photo was taken that man would get in his pick-up truck and leave a wife and two young daughters behind, never to be seen again. _

XoX

"Okay we're all set," Sam announced as she approached, handing him his ticket.

A woman with short brown hair shouted that it was time to board the boat. As the herd of cruise goers moved towards the ramp he noticed that Sam paled, not moving from where she stood.

He knew that this must be incredibly hard for her so he said, "If you really aren't ready…"

She shook her head and waved him off. "No, I need to do this," she replied, taking a deep breath. "I just need a minute to prepare myself."

He nodded as they lingered back while the rest of the group boarded ahead of them. They stood there for a few minutes when the attendant announced that they better hurry or they might miss the tour.

Sam released a deep breath, reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a tight squeeze. "Okay."

He squeezed her hand back and they made their way onto the boat. They found two seats at the rear of the top deck and sat down. They both scanned around for any sight of Max when the boat lurched forward, moving out onto the water.

Suddenly a speaker crackled on and a male voice greeted the group. "Welcome aboard. I hope you are all ready to see some fantastic buildings showcasing modern American architecture. My name is Max Spade and I am going to be your guide this afternoon…"

Both he and Sam craned their heads at the same time, trying to locate the source of the voice. His eyes landed on a man in his sixties with a full head of gray hair that was cut short and slicked back but whose features were undeniably him. Max's once thin frame was now more in the shape of a candy apple, legs like sticks holding up a wide round belly. His face was pale and weathered; visible wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.

Martin glanced at Sam who was watching the older man, riveted, as he continued talking, "…such world renowned architects including Mies Mies van der Rohe, Skidmore Owings and Merrill, and Helmut Jahn." He smiled at the crowd as he slowly walked down the aisle. "But before we begin, are there any questions?" A woman in front raised her hand and asked if they were going to pass by the Sears Tower. "Yes, we most definitely will include our number one landmark on our tour." But that will be near the end of our tour. To begin, let's all look to our right…"

He could practically feel Sam's pulse she was gripping his hand so hard. He turned to look at her as Max's voice droned on lecturing about some buildings they were passing, "…now this building was partially destroyed in the Great Fire of 1871…" She was staring so intently at Max it almost looked like she wasn't even blinking. He wondered what she could have been thinking when she moved in close to him and whispered, "He looks so old."

He nodded and just as quietly replied, "How are you doing?"

She shrugged. "I don't know yet."

He tried to squeeze her hand comfortingly but her death grip was so strong he doubted she felt it. So he leaned in and kissed her temple instead when he felt her stiffen up. She was staring at something and when he followed her line of sight he saw that she was staring directly at her father who had suddenly appeared at their side.

"Well hello there!" Max cheerily said, smiling broadly at the two of them. He felt Sam's hand clench his as they waited to hear what Max would say. "You're a lovely looking couple. Are you here on your honeymoon or maybe enjoying a nice anniversary trip?"

He froze. They hadn't planned on this sort of encounter and he didn't know what to say when beside him Sam coolly replied, "No. We just wanted to see some sights."

Martin's eyes darted between Max and Sam, wondering if any sort of recognition would register in Max's eyes but the man just smiled and said, "Well than the two of you picked the best company to do that because," he pointed up to a building on their right, "we are now passing the famed Chicago Sun Times. This building was erected in the mid-1950's…"

He watched Max walked away, continuing his tour guide lecture apparently unaware of who he just talked to. Once he was sure Max wasn't nearby he leaned into Sam and said, "You handled that well."

She bit her lip, a look of hurt evident on her face as she replied, "He didn't even recognize me." He could hear a crack in her voice as she continued, "I mean, not that he should, he hasn't seen me in over thirty years but there was no recognition of familiarity, nothing."

"It's been a long time," he softly replied.

"I know," she agreed, still looking hurt. "It just stings that my own father doesn't know who I am."

He knew there was really nothing he could say since she was right so he released his grip on her hand and wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly to him.

They sat in the back, listening and watching for the next forty minutes or so as Max continued giving the tour of the architecture as seen from a boat along the Chicago River. Sam was quiet and introspective the entire time, they both were. He stared at Max and wondered what he had been doing for the last thirty years. Did he ever think about reconnecting with his daughters? Did he think of them and wonder what they looked like, what they were doing, what their lives were like?

And then as if on cue, there was a scattering of clapping pulling Martin out of his thoughts as Max pointed ahead towards the Sears Tower and said, "It stands at **1,450** feet and **110 **stories high. It is the tallest building in North America and the third tallest building in the world." Then he glanced around and asked if anyone on board had taken the elevator up to the top. Several sets of hands shot up and Max wandered to the middle of the row of seats.

He saw the brother and sister from earlier talking animatedly to Max who just laughed and said, "Well, it seems we have two kids here who visited the Sears Tower just this morning. Let's give them a big hand in honor of their bravery for making it all the way to the top." There was another round of applause when a passenger said something that he couldn't hear but he saw Max shake his head and reply, "No, I don't have any kids," and then he laughed and added, "Never got around to it."

Martin turned to look at Samantha who had a look of pained anguish cross her face before she turned away from him, her eyes focused on the buildings on the other side. While he couldn't see her face he saw her hand shoot up and wipe something off her cheek. He was suddenly filled with rage that her father had just denied Samantha as his daughter, or rather simply denied the existence of any daughters. He wanted to rush over there, punch the man and throw him overboard. As if sensing what he was considering doing, he felt Samantha scoot closer to him, pulling his arm tighter around her. He still couldn't see her face but in a soft voice she whispered, "Let it go…let it go."

His heart clenched because he didn't know if she was talking to him or to herself.


	53. Chapter 53

XoXoXoX

"_There's no weakness in forgiveness"_ - Tami, _Friday Night Lights_

XoXoXoX

Chapter 53

XoXoXoX

Sam pulled her sweater close as she and Martin walked down the street, headed back to their hotel after a quiet dinner at La Pomme Rouge. She didn't have much of an appetite but it felt good to be someplace that offered her some distraction even if only for a little while. A slow breeze whipped around them and Martin stepped closer to her, silently taking her hand in his.

After she heard her father tell the passengers that he didn't have any children she found herself overcome with emotion. While the rational side of her brain knew that he most likely had been telling people that for years, saying you do not have children is easier than saying you do and than having to explain why you don't see them. But the emotional side of her brain felt like that six-year old girl whose father walked out on her again, making her feel rejected and unloved.

As soon as the tour ended, instead of taking her father aside and introducing herself as she had planned, she bolted off the boat before Martin even had a chance to try and talk her out of it.

XoX

_She rushed down the ramp and off the boat, glancing back long enough to see that some of the other passengers had taken Max aside to compliment him as a tour guide and even pose for a few pictures. He grinned broadly at the camera, the center of a family vacation photo. The very type of photo that she never got to take with him growing up but here he was, happily participating in the memories of someone else's children. She found herself getting angrier and angrier at him, her grief from earlier rapidly morphed into fury. _

_Unable to take it a moment longer she took the steps back up the city street two at a time and started walking down the sidewalk when Martin finally caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, saying, "Whoa, slow down would you?" _

_She finally stopped and spun around to look at him. "I just need to get away from this place," she started walking backwards, pulling on his sleeves, urging him to go along with her, "Let's just get out of here, please?" _

_He sighed, looking like he wanted to talk her out of it but saw that she wasn't in any position to be negotiated with so he nodded and got in step alongside her. _

_She took long strides, deftly maneuvering around people walking in the opposite direction or just too darn slow for her liking. With her blood racing she turned to him and said, "You know what? Bridget was right. He was a son-of-a-bitch then and he's still one now." He didn't reply, he just glanced at her worriedly and kept walking as she continued her tirade. "You know what else? Fuck him. I don't know what in the hell I was thinking coming here." _

_She brushed past two teenagers and the second Martin caught up with her she started up again, "Seeing him acting like he doesn't have a care in the world was closure enough for me." She balled her hands into fists, happy to be able to express her anger at him. "Good riddance." _

_He nodded quietly as he tried to keep up with her rapidly increasing pace. It felt good to vent as she rushed down the sidewalk. _

_She waved her finger at him and said, "And don't try and talk me out of it okay?" He nodded again. "I mean it, Martin. Trust me, my father issues or whatever are done with after this. I know what a good father is like and Max Spade isn't it." She stepped around an older man walking a dog. "You are a good father. You would never, ever walk out on Nate and Grace would you?" _

"_No," he quickly replied, shaking his head. _

"_No, of course you wouldn't because you know what it means to be a father and husband," she replied adamantly. "But Max, he's just…" her voice cracked, "he's just an asshole." _

_Damn it. _

_She could feel her face flushed hot and that familiar soreness aching in her throat but she kept moving, hoping that if she didn't stay still she could outrun the emotion threatening to overtake her. _

_She almost made it another block when her shoulders hitched and she couldn't take another step. Tears started to fall and she felt her knees sway. She might have actually collapsed if Martin had been there because the moment she began sobbing he wrapped his arms around her, holding her up. _

"_Why didn't he want me?" she cried into his shoulder, clutching the sleeves of his jacket. "How could he just leave us and then just go on pretending that we didn't exist?" _

"_I don't know," he murmured into her hair using a voice that he often used with Grace or Nate when they cried. "I don't know." _

XoX

It felt good to finally let it all out. It took so much out of her to hold in her sadness and anger at her father for so many years that just being able to have the emotional outburst was a cathartic release.

They turned the corner onto North Dearborn where their hotel was located. The street was filled with young urbanites out on the town on a Saturday night. She smiled over at the group of young twenty some-things piling out a cab that stopped in front of a nightclub. She remembered when she was that young and she and her girlfriends would dress up and hit a local bar to dance and drink and flirt and maybe hook up with a cute guy once in awhile.

"You're smiling," Martin commented beside her.

She looked over at him and replied, "I'm feeling better." She playfully tugged on his hand, swinging their arms together and said, "Thanks for being so great today. I honestly don't know how I would have survived it without you."

He grinned. "Yeah, well, I did promise to stick by you for better and for worse."

"Seems like we've been having a lot more of the worse than better lately," she replied as they stopped at the crosswalk to get back to their hotel. "Hopefully we can start getting back on track for better."

Martin's eyes were focused at something on the other side of the street when he evenly replied, "That's still to be determined."

She turned to see what he was looking at when she spotted Max standing at the bottom of the steps leading up to their hotel. Their eyes met in a shared look of recognition: he knew who she was.

Max eyed the two of them warily and shoved his hands in his pockets waiting to see who was going to make the first move.

"What do you want to do?" Martin gently asked.

She broke her gaze away from Max to quickly glance at him and say, "I should talk to him."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No, I need to do this myself," she softly replied, giving him a small smile. "Thank you though."

He returned her smile when the light changed giving them the signal to cross. They walked across the street and she saw Max visibly straighten up as they approached. She stopped just short of where Max stood and Martin leaned into her and softly whispered, "I'll wait up," before kissing her temple. She nodded and he started towards the stairs, slowing down enough to give her father a polite nod. It wasn't friendly but just cordial enough for a boy who was raised by his parents to go into politics. He looked over his shoulder and gave her one final encouraging look before turning around and heading up the steps into the hotel.

Her heart raced as Max slowly shuffled up to where she stood and they stared at each other, both looking awkward and uncomfortable.

Unable to take the silence a moment longer she said, "I didn't think you recognized me."

"I didn't," he replied. His reply stung but at least he had the decency to look guilty. "I was in the office when our clerk was running the credit card receipts from today's tours. She was joking around that one of the names on the cards was similar to Bogart's Sam Spade." They shared a terse smile as he added, "It's not a very common name." He looked around at the groups of people walking past them on their way to the House of Blues that was next door. "So I called around to the hotels and told them that a woman by the name of Samantha Spade left her wallet on a tour..." he trailed off, shifting his feet looking self-conscious. "So I've been hovering out here trying to get the courage to go up to your room when you and your husband showed up."

She nodded as a gust of wind blew through, causing her hair to fly around her face. She tucked some strands behind her ears and asked, "So you're here. Now what?"

He pursed his lips, unsure, when he pointed down the street and said, "There's a bar down the street. You wanna go grab a drink or something?"

She considered for a beat before nodding her head and turning in the direction he had pointed.

They walked side by side down the sidewalk, each glancing anxiously at each other. They reached the bar that looked like an old neighborhood haunt. He held the door open for her and they went inside. It wasn't very busy for a Saturday night so they were able to get a booth. She slid into the bench on her side and Max asked her what she would like. She told him she would just have whatever he was having and he went off to procure their drinks.

She glanced around and saw that the bar was mostly filled with older customers; people who probably had been patronizing the bar for years. It was a classic style décor with a long bar that ran the length of one wall complete with a brass rail. There were a scattering of tables and about four booths lined up against the other wall. She saw Max headed back to their booth holding two pints of beer. He set one down in front of her before getting into the booth opposite of her.

She took a small drink and noticed that her father emptied a quarter of his. He set the glass down and said, "This is surreal. I don't know what to say or even how to act."

"I know what you mean," she agreed.

He took another drink and set the glass down on the table but kept his hand wrapped around the glass. "So your husband seems like a good guy."

"Yes, he is," she replied, her lips curving up into a small smile.

"Kids?"

She nodded. "Two. Grace and Nate."

She waited to see if he was going to ask to see some pictures but he just took another drink of his beer and asked, "And your sister? She married with kids, too?"

"Bridget's married," Sam replied, picking up her beer, "They have one daughter, Terri." She took a long drink.

"That's good, that's good," he nodded his head several times as he spoke. He smiled at her and asked, "So what brings you to Chicago?"

"You," she replied, her eyes fixed on him. He looked at her, unsure and hesitant, so she decided to just lay all her cards on the table. Things couldn't get much worse only better, right? "I came here to talk to you. I wanted to know why you left, where you've been."

He picked up his glass, polishing it off. He set it back down and laughed nervously. "You always were a straight shooter," he tried to joke but when she did even crack a smile his expression went serious and he said, "I don't know, Sammie, what do you want me to say?"

She cringed at hearing him use a nickname for her and replied, "The truth."

"The truth?" he snorted. "The truth is complicated."

"It's still what I want," she evenly replied.

He coughed, clearing his throat and said, "The truth is that I was just a kid when your mom and me got married." He shrugged and shook his head. "We had only been dating a few months when she got pregnant with your sister. I saw my life slipping away knowing that would never get a chance to live my own life. I had to get a job working as a mechanic for this idiot who never paid me what I was worth but Diane insisted that I keep it because we needed the money."

He glanced at her as if expecting some sort of reply but when none was forthcoming he continued, "I had this cherry GTO but your mom said we had to sell it so we could get a practical family car. So she got the sedan and I got stuck with that damn rickety truck. I was miserable. I had dreams you know." He looked at her as if hoping for some empathy but she wasn't feeling particularly sympathetic. "I wanted to travel and see the world and I couldn't do that with a wife and kids."

"So you felt tied down and just decided to leave and follow your dreams," she repeated, more for her own benefit than his. She needed to make sense of it but she couldn't. "Didn't you once think about how that would affect us? How that made mom or Bridget or me feel?"

"I never wanted to hurt you or your sister but I felt like I was suffocating," he replied, fiddling with his empty glass. "I knew I couldn't be a father or husband like you and your mom needed." He shifted in his seat and held up his empty glass to get the bartenders attention. The bartender nodded so Max turned back around to face her. "You were better off not having a father around who didn't want to be there and..."

He kept talking but Samantha just tuned him out. It hit her that it didn't matter what he said to her there would never be a good excuse or reasonable explanation. He could have told her that the president asked him to run a top secret mission to save mankind and that still wouldn't have been a good enough reason for her. There was no reason he could give her to make her understand why he would willingly walk out on her and her sister and mother.

As he continued talking about how he was able to go out into the world and live his own life she stared back at him with new open eyes. He wasn't the father who had rejected her but rather just a selfish man who didn't know what being a father meant. And then she realized that her anger was ebbing away and being replaced with pity. She pitied her father for only being focused on what his own needs were that he didn't even understand what it was he gave up. And he probably would never be able comprehend how in his own quest to live his own life and follow his own dreams that he dramatically altered those of her mother and sister and hers.

Her own mother stuck it out and sacrificed some of her own hopes and dreams so that she could raise two children alone. She remembered that money was sometimes tight and tempers were short but her mom was there everyday, doing what she needed to make sure that she and her sister always had shoes on their feet, food on the table, and a bed to rest their heads. She was sure that her mom wanted more out of life but she didn't walk out on them and pretend that her past didn't exist. She didn't try and erase her children away from her life; she stayed and made them feel like they colored it.

"…and then I bought a share of the tour business," he finished as the bartender switched out his empty glass for a full one. "And it's a good business, we're turning a profit and I'm really good at being a tour guide. You were there today. Didn't you think I did a good job?"

"I guess I was too focused on seeing my father for the first time in thirty years that I didn't pay much attention to the tour guide," she replied, her tone was soft but her words were biting.

"Right," he said, taking a drink of his second beer. He got a frothy mustache and wiped it with his hand. "So these grandkids of mine, are they back at the hotel? Do you think I maybe could meet them so they can get to know their old granddad?"

"They are back in Kenosha spending time with their grandma," she replied before lowering her eyes and shaking her head adding, "But I don't know if I'd want them to meet you."

"Why not?" he asked wounded. "Don't you think they'd want to know who their grandfather is?"

"I'm sure they would," she agreed before meeting his eyes and asking, "But are you going to be their grandfather? Are you going to visit on holidays? Call them up on their birthday?" Her mind suddenly drifted to the kids last Halloween with Victor and Katherine. "Are you going to dress up like a butler on Halloween and take them trick or treating?"

His expression got dark and he replied, "So because I don't do that stuff I don't even get to see them?"

She didn't know why but it pleased her that he was upset by her rejection; to know that she could make him finally show some emotion towards her. "I can't let you come into their life, announce that you are their grandfather just to have you leave because you can't deal with the familial obligations. They have already lost too much these last few months that they shouldn't have to cope with one more disappointment."

He didn't say anything but simply took another drink of his beer. When he set it back down they just stared at each other knowing that there were no more words the other could offer to change the others mind.

After a long moment of silence Sam stood up and said, "Good night, dad. I'm glad that things are working out for you now."

She started to walk away when he reached out and took a hold of her arm. It wasn't forceful but it got her attention. He looked up at her and asked, "So that's it? You just came here to see me and now you are walking out?"

She shook her head slowly and gently but firmly replied, "No, I'm not walking out on you. If you decide that you are really ready to be a part of my family, and that includes mom and Bridget, than I would love for you to meet my children. They are amazing human beings and you would be extremely lucky to know them."

He released his hold on her arm. "After all these years and you came all this way and you won't even stay here long enough to finish your beer or have a conversation?"

She sighed heavily. "I came all this way to see you and…" she trailed off, her tongue searching for the right words. "I came here to see what you would have to say for yourself, to hear why you left. And you gave me all the reasons that pertain to you but not once did you even say you were sorry for hurting me, for hurting us by leaving."

"You want me to say I'm sorry, is that it?"

"Never mind," she replied, knowing that if she had to explain why it mattered he was incapable of understanding. "But it's okay that you didn't because I still forgive you."

He looked at her, confused and uncertain. "So that's it then?"

"I think so," she replied, eerily calm. She smiled down at him and finished, "Goodbye, dad."

"Goodbye, Sammie," he breathed out as she turned and walked out.

As she walked back to the hotel she felt an odd sense of peace overtake her. She did what she had come here to do: she talked to her father and felt like that chapter was closing on her life. She also realized hat it isn't so much what she missed out on the past that matters as much as what she has to look forward to in the future.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

XoXoXoX

"Wow, it looks kinda like an alien," Kate commented, tilting her head side to side as she studied the ultrasound of Hanna and Reggie's baby. Jack knew she was just teasing her older sister but it was nice to see some of her old humor emerge.

Hanna snatched the photo back from her sister and said, "Shut up, that's my baby you're talking about." She handed it over to Jack. "What do you think, dad?"

It an effort to bring peace back between the families, Elaine invited Reggie, Hanna, Marcus and Viv over for Sunday brunch. He wasn't sure they would agree but everyone showed up and seemed to be having a good time. There was some light joking and polite conversation and not once had the name Henry Stoltzfus come up. He knew they were all avoiding it like an emotional landmine but it still lingered in the air like a the proverbial white elephant. Fortunately Hanna had recently had an ultrasound so she brought the printouts with her to show the future grandparents a photo of the developing child, which provided an enjoyable distraction.

"Let's see," he replied, looking at the photo. It was a remarkably clear picture of a baby still in the sanctuary of a womb at about thirteen weeks. A bulbous head, curled up in the required fetal position, with skin so translucent that you could almost see the organs developing underneath. It was impressive how much clearer ultrasounds had become over the years. When he and Maria had kids they were grainy black and white images that made the babies look more like photocopies of a potato. He studied the photo and he had to admit, he agreed with Kate that his future grandchild looked a bit like an alien, but he was smart enough to know that you never tell that to an expectant mother. So he smiled and said, "Beautiful."

"Thank you," she said with a beatific grin before throwing her younger sister a dirty look.

"Let me see it again," Viv said, reaching out to take another look. She and Elaine chatted and said the customary ooh's and aah's as they pointed out features like the babies feet, the spine, fingers and ears. He could already tell that the first grandchild on both sides would be spoiled rotten.

"So can you tell what the sex is yet?" Kate asked, spreading cream cheese on her bagel.

"No," Reggie replied. He served himself another spoonful of fruit salad and handed the bowl to his dad as he added, "We won't know until about eighteen weeks."

"Are you going to find out?" Elaine asked, curiously.

All eyes turned to look at Hanna and Reggie. Hanna smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, we want to be surprised so all of you are just going to have to wait."

"Are you sure you don't want to know?" Viv asked, handing the ultrasound back to Hanna. "That way you can make plans like how to decorate the nursery…"

"Yes," Elaine agreed. "And also in case anyone wants to, I don't know, start buying outfits they know what gender to get."

"No," Hanna repeated, taking a sip of her orange juice. Viv and Elaine shared looks of disappointment but she just smiled and looked over at him. She lowered her glass and asked, "So, what's the word on your retirement? Still going to do it?"

This time everyone's gaze landed on him, all of them curious except Elaine who just shook her head and smiled as she said, "You might as well tell them."

"I knew there was no way in hell you were going to retire," Viv replied as she stirred sugar into her coffee.

"Oh, he's still retiring," Elaine politely corrected. "Sort of anyway."

"Sort of?" Kate asked; her brow furrowed in confusion.

He smiled and replied, "I've accepted a position as head of security for Palmer Industries."

Viv stopped stirring, her hand still holding the spoon and asked, "As in Benjamin Palmer?"

"Yeah," he replied, smirking. "He offered me the job."

"How do you know Benjamin Palmer?" Kate asked, incredulous. "He owns half of Park Avenue and has dinner with prime ministers and heads of state and well," she waved her hand around the table, "this is the most social thing you've done in ages."

"I worked the case when his family went missing," Jack replied before telling them about how his family had been kidnapped by some diamond smugglers who were looking for a stash hidden on a yacht that he had recently purchased at an auction. There was a hell of a gunfight at the end but they found the entire family alive and well. Then he remembered that was the case he had just finished working when he came home and Maria told him she wanted a divorce. But he kept that part to himself.

"How did this come about?" Viv asked, looking surprised.

He turned his head to face her and he briefly wondered if she remembered that the case also coincided with the time when he was supposed to transfer to Chicago and she was going to take over as lead agent. It seemed simultaneously like yesterday and a lifetime ago. And all along the way there was Viv and he found himself overwhelmed with gratitude that she was here with him today celebrating the fact that their families were going to be united forever.

"He called me up," he replied at last. "I was surprised as you…"

XoX

"_23 across, 'Hall of Fame sportscaster Curt' and its five letters," Elaine read aloud from where she sat next to him. They were working on the New York Times crossword puzzle enjoying a quiet night at home. Hanna and Reggie dragged Kate to the movies, telling her she needed to get out of house and reluctantly she agreed. _

_He gave it a bit of thought and replied, "Gowdy. Curt Gowdy."_

_She wrote it down and started to read the next one when the doorbell rang. He checked his watch and saw that it was nearly nine o'clock. _

"_Who could that be?" she asked, taking off her reading glasses as Jack got up and walked to the door. _

_He looked in the peephole and was completely taken off guard by who stood on the other side. He opened the door and said, "So, let me guess, you're either here selling magazine subscriptions or doing your part as a Jehovah's Witness." _

_Ben Palmer's expression was serious as he deadpanned, "Actually I'm here collecting signatures on behalf of the Sierra Club. Are you aware of the plight of the platypus?" _

_Jack laughed lightly and reached out his hand. "This is a surprise."_

"_Sorry to show up so late but I just got in from Paris and I have to head out to Vermont in the morning," he replied as they shook hands. _

"_Come in," Jack said, stepping aside so Palmer could enter. "Paris and Vermont? The last time we saw each other you said you were going to try and take it easier so you could spend more time with the family."_

"_I am," he replied jovially. "Paris was for work but my wife and I are going to Vermont to visit my daughter. She lives on a farm out there with her boyfriend." He scrunched his face and added, "They make organic cheese and preserves." _

_Sensing a tone Jack smile and asked, "Not the life you had hoped for her?"_

_Ben huffed and said, "I'm glad she's happy I just wish her boyfriend wasn't such a hippie dippy dipshit. He doesn't even like sports. What can of man doesn't like sports?"_

"_It's downright un-American," Jack joked as the two men walked into the living room. _

_Elaine stood up and after Jack introduced her she offered to get Palmer a cup of tea. As she headed into the kitchen he motioned for the businessman he hadn't seen in years to take a seat. _

_Once they were situated he said, "So, what brings you here?"_

_Ben smiled and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees and his hand clasped. "I heard that you are retiring." _

"_Word travels fast," Jack replied. "How did you even hear?"_

"_I make it my business to keep informed," Ben replied when Elaine returned with a cup of tea, handing it to him before sitting down next to Jack. He took a sip and set it down on the coffee table. "Which is what brings me here. I want to offer you a job."_

"_A job?" he asked, quickly glancing at Elaine who looked as taken aback as he felt. _

_Ben nodded. "I'm looking for someone to head up security for my offices here in New York."_

"_And you thought of me?"_

"_I never forget someone who impresses me," Ben replied, picking up the teacup and taking another drink. "I made some inquiries and found out that you were leaving the bureau. I thought I would stop by and see if I could talk you out of retiring completely so you could come work for me." _

_Jack looked over at Elaine who had a concerned look on her face. He knew she liked the idea of him taking it a little easier. But he also knew that on some level they were both dreading it. He did not know how to do idle, he was always go go go and to have to suddenly stop was going to be very difficult. _

_As if sensing it Ben smiled and said, "It would be mostly a nine to six job. I would need you to monitor things, make sure the guys we hire are well trained and the equipment is top notch. Of course, when I have a VIP over than you would personally handle matters."_

"_Can I sleep on it?" he asked, glancing over at Elaine. _

"_Sure," Ben replied, standing up. "But try and let me know soon." He smiled over at Elaine. "It was a pleasure to meet you and thank you for the tea. Sorry to disturb you so late."_

"_Goodnight," she replied as Jack escorted Ben to the door. _

_Ben stepped into the hallway and before he left he said, "I'd really love to have you on my team, Jack. Think about it." _

XoX

"So he did," Elaine contributed. "And we talked about it," she smiled, "at length and while I do want him to take it easy we both know he would be miserable if he was forced to not work. So we decided he should take the job."

"So you're leaving the bureau and going into the private sector?" Kate asked, as she ate the last of her bagel.

"Looks that way," he replied.

"I knew there was no way Jack Malone was just going to retire, sitting on a park bench and feed the pigeons," Viv said with a warm smile as she lifted up her coffee cup and toasted him. "I think this is a good idea."

He smiled at her and enjoying the lightness of the moment he said, "You should because I was thinking of taking one of your classes next semester, you know to fill my time."

"Well in that case," she replied, a look of amusement on her face, "I'm going to send Palmer some flowers thanking him for hiring you and getting you out of my hair."

Elaine stood up to refill the coffee pot and as she walked into the kitchen she said, "I'll split the costs with you, Viv, because you know he would have driven me crazy, too."

He laughed.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

XoXoXoX

"This is nice," Emma said as she took a sip of her merlot. "I can't remember the last time we had dinner at a real restaurant with just the two of us."

"Me either, that's why I thought it was time," Danny replied, as he stabbed a big piece of green leafy lettuce with his fork. As he chewed his salad he glanced around the small restaurant, enjoying a nice leisurely kids free dinner with his wife. She told him that several nurses at the hospital had been commenting on how great this restaurant. Especially on how handy the location was since it opened up just a few blocks down from the hospital.

Emma set her glass back down and asked, "So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

He looked back at her and smiled. Tomorrow morning he was going to officially submit his papers to apply for Jack's position. He still hadn't a chance to talk to Samantha about it but even if she said she was applying as well it wouldn't deter him. "I'm ready. I just hope that if I do get it that it won't cause hard feelings between me and Sam."

"And if she gets it?" she asked, starting to poke around at her own salad. "You still going to be okay?"

"I think so," he answered as he ate the last of his salad. "But tonight let's be optimistic and say that the odds are that I will get it."

"Good idea," she replied as their waitress appeared and removed their salad plates, telling them that their entrees would be out in just a moment. He took a sip of his club soda and she asked, "I'm very confident that you are going to get it. You're a great agent and its time."

"Thank you," he said with a smile.

She ran her finger around the rim of the wine glass and carefully said, "Speaking of careers, I've been thinking about mine."

He squeezed the wedge of lime into his club soda. "Oh yeah? What's up?"

"Well, I was thinking that if, sorry, when," she smiled, "you get the SAC job that you hours are most likely going to be longer than they are now." He nodded, unsure where she was going. " And even though Diego is getting better everyday he still is going to need frequent check ups for at least another year. "

"Wait a minute, it sounds like you are giving reasons why I shouldn't take the job."

"No, honey, that's not my intention," she replied, reaching out to grab his hand, giving it an affection squeeze.

Just then their waitress returned with his lobster and her salmon. She set down the bright red shellfish in front of him and he practically salivated at the sight of it. After making sure they didn't need anything else she walked off and he looked back at Emma, expectantly.

"Anyway," she began again. "I called up my friend Karen Grady from medical school. She owns a small medical practice in Brooklyn with her husband. I asked her if she was willing to hire on another doctor and she said they were actually considering expanding their practice and were looking for a few new partners."

He relaxed a bit and started to crack the shell on his lobster, eager to eat it while it was hot. "So you want to leave the hospital and go into private practice?"

"It would be totally ideal," she replied, following his lead and taking a bite of her salmon. "They want to keep it small so they can focus on patients but word is getting out about how great their practice is so they want to be able to service their community. But they want to keep it focused on patient health and relationships. So I would be able to set my own hours which means I can be home more with the kids."

He pulled some of the lobster meat out of the shell and dipped it in butter but didn't eat it right away. He looked at her and asked, "Can we afford for you to buy into a practice?"

"Well, our savings would take a big hit," she replied carefully, gauging his reaction. "And I wouldn't make as much money as the hospital, at least not initially since I would have to build my own patient base and I wouldn't be working as much but we'd be able to cut back on Melanie's hours since I'll be home more and that will save us money. Not to mention as an SAC you get a big pay raise."

"Is Melanie going to be okay with that?" he asked, not liking the idea of upsetting the woman who was so important to their kids.

"Actually, I already talked to her," she replied. "She's been thinking of going back to school to get her masters and this would give her more time to do that."

"You thought of everything," he replied, finally eating his lobster. He swallowed and said, "That seems like a good idea." He dipped another piece into butter and took a bite when he felt a weird crack in his mouth and heard a crunching sound. "Shit," he muttered, knowing that he just broke a tooth. He brought his napkin to his mouth and spit out what was left. "I ink…" he began when he felt a tingling sensation on his tongue and throat, "I ink I woke a root…"

"Danny?" she asked, dropping her fork on her plate. "Oh no…can you breathe?"

"Thous," he replied, his ears feeling itchy.

She stood up and he saw her napkin drop onto the floor. She walked around the table and said, "Come on, stand up. We have to get out of here. You're having an allergic reaction to the shellfish. We need to get you to the hospital and get you some antihistamines," she looked at him, a worried expression on her face and she added, "Or maybe a shot of epinephrine."

He followed her out, scratching his ear that felt hot and itchy. As they walked through the restaurant he noticed that several of the diners were gaping and him, whispering and pointing. He stared back at them and wondered why they were looking at him like that when Emma pulled him out of the restaurant and onto the sidewalk.

She held his hand and led him through the crowded sidewalk, looking back at him every few seconds and asking, "Are you still able to breathe?"

He nodded and replied, "Thous," when he turned and saw his reflection in one of the shop windows. He stopped walking and stared back at his image in disbelief. His ears looked like balloons on the side of his face, his eyes were swollen, and his lip looked like he had six doses of collagen. "Oh my thod!"

"It looks worse than it is but we need to get you to the hospital," Emma said as she tugged on his arm and started them walking again. He trudged along behind her, but he kept catching his reflection in the windows. He couldn't believe that was him looking back, he looked like that troll guy from the _Lord of the Rings_ films.

Minutes later they entered the ER that he knew well from Emma's years working there. She rushed towards the nurse's station where her friend Frances was filling out some forms on a clipboard. "Hey, Frances, is there an exam room free?"

Frances lowered her clipboard and looked up at them. And then with a grin on her face she pointed Emma down the hall and said, "Exam room two. Do you need me to get you…?"

"That'd be great," she replied as she and Danny started down the hallway.

They entered the exam room and he sat down on the examination bed. He tried scratching his ears when Emma pulled his hand away and ordered, "Stop it. It's looking pretty raw."

Frances walked in carrying a tray and as she handed it to Emma she said, "Here you go, Dr. Taylor."

"Thanks," she replied. She started prepping the syringe, carefully filling the needle.

Frances looked at Danny and chuckled softly as she asked, "Shellfish?"

"Yeah," Emma replied, taking Danny's arm and swabbing it with a cotton ball. She told Frances about where they were having dinner and that he had eaten some lobster. "It came on really sudden. This is his first time having a reaction but thankfully," she stuck the needle in his arm and injected the meds, "his throat didn't swell up and he could breathe." She removed the needle and said, "This should take effect pretty quickly."

Frances smiled at Danny and playfully said, "Next time order the steak."

He watched as she left and looked back at Emma feeling an overwhelming sense of disappointment. They were having such a nice night away from the kids and now they were stuck in the one place they had seen entirely too much of the last year.

"Twis swucks," he mumbled through puffy and swollen lips.

"Sorry." She pulled off the latex gloves and dropped them in the trash. "I know it sucks but how could we know that you developed a shellfish allergy?" She carefully putting the needle in a bin marked biohazard. With a restrained smile she lamented, "And it's a damn shame because that lobster looked delicious."

"Berry bunny," he replied, immediately regretting it after hearing how it sounded. Then he remembered the other problem. "Wub a butt ma ruth?"

"What?" she asked, confused. "Ruth?"

"Ma ruth," he opened his mouth and pointed to his broken tooth. "Ma ruth. Ets roken."

She stepped up to him and placed both her hands on his jaw to examine him. She looked at him stunned and said, "You broke a tooth!" as if he didn't already know and she was sharing new information.

"I know!" he replied. He realized that the end of the sentence didn't sound mumbled or slurred anymore. "It's erking." Well, maybe not completely.

"Yes it is working," she replied, gently kissing him on the cheek. She stepped back and said, "I'd kiss you on the mouth but I think your upper lip is still bigger than my entire mouth." She started to the door. "Now let's see if I can find a dentist who can see you first thing in the morning. Only you could manage both a broken tooth and an allergic reaction at the same time." She laughed and added, "You can't apply to be SAC looking like this can you? I'll be right back." She put her hand on the doorknob and looked back at him. "You know what?"

"What?" he asked, squeezing his fist trying to stifle the urge to scratch his ear.

"It's just," she grinned, "This date reminds me of our first one." She shrugged and gave him a soft look. "I mean, for us, this is almost romantic. It's almost like you are wooing me."

He smiled, or at least he thought he was smiling, his lips were still swollen so he couldn't be sure, and replied, "Tats me, a wheel Romeo."

She laughed.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

XoXoXoX

Samantha lay on her side of the bed, her head resting on the pillow with one hand tucked underneath and the other resting on the mattress. The bed was draped in shadows, streaks of light making their way through the slit between the curtains into the darkened bedroom.

She lay there, enjoying being home in New York and relaxing after a whirlwind weekend. She stretched out her legs, enjoying the feel of being able to lie down after a long day of traveling. Their flight home had been delayed so their original arrival time switched from six in the evening to eight thirty which meant that by the time they escorted two grumpy kids off the plane, got their luggage, took a cab back into the city and put Grace and Nate to bed it was close to midnight.

Beside her she heard Martin sigh heavily, sinking deeper under the covers as he murmured, "Feels good to be home." He turned over on his side, mirroring her posture. "Don't get me wrong, it's nice to see your mom and the rest of the family but there's nothing like getting to sleep in your own bed."

She smiled. "It was nice to see her though, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," he replied, with a smile. She grew quiet, replaying the events of the weekend. He scooted closer and even in the darkened bedroom she could see the soft look in his eyes. "Are you thinking about your dad?"

She shifted in the bed, pulling the sheet up and holding it close to her chest. "I know I did the right thing. I know that." She bit her lip and then said, "I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to do it."

"At least you did it," he said, squishing the pillow so it was tucked perfectly under his neck. "I'm proud of you." He yawned and added, "And apparently so is Bridget."

She smiled as she remembered the conversation she shared with her sister earlier that morning.

XoX

_The morning after seeing her father she insisted that she and Martin leave early and head back to Kenosha. She wanted to get out of Chicago and get home to see her family. She didn't want to spend another minute in the same city as the father that abandoned her. Instead she wanted to talk to her mom, gossip with Bridget and Terri, joke around with Gus and John, and smother Grace and Nate with affection. She had made her peace with the past and felt an overwhelming urge to embrace her present. _

_They called ahead and her mom told her that they were all going to be at John's farm for brunch so that Grace and Nate could help collect eggs and watch him milk the cows. _

_So they drove directly there and met up with the family. After they arrived and listened as Grace gave them the full lowdown on what she did every single minute since they last saw her, they all wandered over to the barn to watch as John instructed them on how to properly milk a cow. _

_Martin stood on the opposite side of the pen with Gus and the kids, as it offered the best possible angle to observe the milking. Terri was holding Nate on her hip so he could look over the side while Grace stood on top of a step stool. Her mom, Diane, was in the pen behind John, helping narrate what he was doing. _

_She and Bridget stood off to the side, quietly watching when John called out, "Come on, Marty, it's your turn." _

_She glanced over at Martin, who went pale, and replied, "Nah, that's okay, I'm fine watching."_

_Both Gus and John starting prodding him as they were well acquainted with farm life and thought this was the perfect time to induct city boy Martin into the country way. _

"_It's easy," John insisted, waving him over, "Get over here."_

"_Yeah, daddy!" Grace shouted, gleefully. "Do it! Do it!"_

"_Yeah, daddy, milk that cow," Diane added, laughing. Soon the whole clan was shouting, "Milk it! Milk it!"_

_Sam looked over at him and knew that while he was the first one to want to go rock climbing, skiing, hiking, horseback riding or any other fun outdoor activity, this type of stuff was not something on his list of enjoyable rugged activities. But she also knew that there was no way he would cower from something like this in front of his kids so he finally nodded and walked around to join John in the pen. As he walked by her he crossed his eyes and shook his head, expressing his immense displeasure at what he was about to do. _

_She watched amusedly as he sat down on the small stool vacated by John, listening as John showed him how to situate his hands under the udders. _

"_Okay Marty, now I want you to rub your hands to warm them up," John instructed, watching as Martin did as he was told. "Okay, now I want you take a teat into the palm of your hand."_

_Martin looked at the cow and joked, "That's a change, I usually have to buy someone dinner first before I can do that." _

"_Well, you don't have to do that for Paula," John replied._

"_Yup, she's one of those cows you don't have to buy because she's giving it away for free," Gus teased. _

"_You're a real riot, Gus," Bridget retorted with a light laugh. _

_Martin looked at the low hanging cow teats and slowly moved his hand into place. "Okay, here we go." _

_John leaned in close and said, "Okay, now squeeze the teat at the top with your thumb and forefinger." She laughed as Martin winced when a stream of milk came out. John smiled and gave him some encouragement. "Great job."_

"_Yeah!" Nate and Terri cheered, waving their fists in the air while Grace shouted, jumping up and down enthusiastically. Gus and Diane just laughed and watched. _

_John kept instructing Martin on how to properly force the milk stream by putting all his fingers around the tea. She restrained a chuckle as Martin did as he was told, a queasy look on his face._

_Beside her Bridget softly asked, "Did you see him?"_

"_I know, he looks completely grossed out," she replied with her eyes on Martin who looked like he was concentrating really hard on the task. "He's looked more relaxed changing dirty diapers than milking a cow."_

"_I meant Max," Bridget clarified. Caught off guard by the question she turned and met her sister's eyes. Her sister gave her a soft, sad look and asked, "Did you see dad?"_

_She swallowed and glanced over at the pen, certain that no one was listening to them and replied, "Yeah I did." _

_Bridget nodded slowly and then quietly guided them out of the barn to the hoyse. They sat down on the porch swing and she finally asked, "How did it go?"_

_Sam felt herself almost choke up at being able to share what happened with her sister. "It was awful." She forced a smile and shook her head as she went on to tell her sister how the reunion went with their estranged father, from the tour to the bar. "So I left him alone in the bar and went back to hotel to tell Martin all about it." _

"_What did he say about it?" Bridget asked as she looked back over at the open barn door._

_Sam grinned. "At first he said he regretted not throwing dad off the boat," she laughed and Bridget grinned, "but ultimately he was glad that I felt okay about it. I think he was worried I was going to come back angry and have more issues."_

"_And you do feel better?" she asked, watching her carefully. _

_Sam licked her lip as she considered her answer. "Yeah, I do." She leaned back and used the tip of her shoes to push off making the porch swing sway. "I think it was good to realize that dad didn't leave because of us but because of him." She sighed heavily and said, "He was just so blasé about it. Like I should have been more understanding about how it was something he needed to do."_

_Bridget gave her a knowing smile and replied, "I'm glad you came out of it feeling better. I wish I could say the same about when I saw him."_

_She reached out and put her hand on her sister's arm. "You saw him? When?"_

"_It was about six years ago," she softly replied, fiddling with the cuff of her shirt. "Gus won a trip to Las Vegas for having the most sales at work. We left Terri with mom and went off to enjoy a nice leisurely weekend. We don't really like gambling so we mostly stuck to the quarter slots. It was about six at night and we decided to walk up and down the strip before dinner and that's when I saw him. _

"_He was exiting a casino with these two trashy looking women fawning all over him. He was laughing and groping them, acting like he was a real high roller." She sighed so heavily her entire body slumped down. "I just stopped and stared at him. I couldn't speak. I just watched as a limo pulled up and they all climbed inside and drove off._

"_When I told Gus who it was he got so mad. I honestly thought he was going to chase after the limo and beat the crap out of him." She laughed bitterly and said, "Needless to say, the weekend wasn't as much fun after that."_

"_Why didn't you ever tell me?" she asked, surprised by Bridget's admission. _

"_I couldn't bring myself to," she gently replied. "I was so angry at him. After all those years mom struggled to make money and we grew up wondering where he went and why he left…and then to see him acting like a big shot, it just ignited something in me. I hated him at that moment. I was so mad that this was why he abandoned us, to act like an ass."_

"_I wish you had told me," Sam replied, wondering how different things would have gone if her sister had confided in her. _

"_I thought I was protecting you from learning how selfish he was," Bridget said, regretfully. She looked up and saw that everyone was exiting the barn, walking towards them. "We all have good lives now and I didn't see any point bringing Max Spade back into it." _

_Sam looked over and saw her mom and John swinging Nate between them while Gus and Terri walked behind them laughing. A few seconds later, Martin and Grace walked out of the barn carrying a milk bucket, walking slowly trying to not tip it._

_Bridget waved at them as they neared and leaned into Sam and asked, "So tell me this, after seeing dad did you come back with an even greater appreciation for mom? I know I did."_

"_Absolutely," she replied watching her mom laugh as they swung Nate into the air. "And I feel very guilty for giving her such a hard time."_

"_Me, too," Bridget contributed when their mom and John, lowered Nate onto the ground and started up the steps. _

"_No more gossiping," Diane ordered them as the opened the door for Nate to enter. "We have some breakfast to cook up." She gestured for them to get inside and then disappeared into the house, followed by Gus and Terri who told her to hurry up they were starving. _

"_Be right there," Bridget replied as she stood up and looked down at Sam. "We better go help, I'd for my husband and daughter to starve to death by having to wait an extra fifteen minutes to eat." She rolled her eyes and took a step towards the door before pausing and looking back at her, skeptical. "So do you really forgive him?" _

"_Yes," Sam replied softly, still sitting on the porch swing. _

_Bridget nodded thoughtfully before opening the door and over her shoulder, playfully teased, "You better come help, too, Samantha. I'm not going to get stuck doing all the work by myself. You owe mom, too!" _

_Samantha laughed and stood up, meeting Martin and Grace at the top of the steps. "So did you have fun today?" _

"_Look mom! We have real milk from a cow!" Grace excitedly replied as Martin set the bucket down so Sam could look inside, in case she had any doubts. _

"_That's great, sweetie," Sam proudly replied, looking at the thick creamy liquid. No way in hell was she going to drink that. She smiled at Grace and said, "Why don't you go inside and wash your hands for breakfast." _

_Grace nodded and ran inside as Sam looked at Martin who started to pick up the bucket again and said, "So are you ready to give up life in New York and buy a farm?"_

_He laughed. "Uh, no. I think it is actually safe to say that we are going to live in a city the rest of our lives where the only milk we drink is purchased at a grocery store." He set the bucket back down and asked, "I saw you and Bridget snuck out talking, did you tell her about your father?"_

"_Didn't have to, she guessed," Sam replied, reaching over to pluck a piece of hay off his shoulder. _

"_She seemed to be smiling," he said. "So it must have gone okay."_

"_It did," she replied stepping back and motioning for him to follow her inside. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now I need to go help my mom make some breakfast."_

XoX

She felt so much closer to her sister after today. It was surprising to her that Bridget had never told her about it but when she thought about it, she wasn't sure she would have either. If she had run into Max Spade that way it would have hurt a lot and she wouldn't want to spread it to her sister. And while her own reunion wasn't the tearjerker _Lifetime_ movie scenario, at least she got some sort of closure. And maybe, since her father had been the one to come seek her out, maybe he was looking for an open door and she left him with that, too.

She sunk deeper under the covers and thought about how this weekend her goal was to understand her father but in the end it made her understand herself. She had never felt more sure of who she was until this weekend. Plus, it really made her understand her mother in a new way. The sacrifices her mother must have made for her and her sister made her even more appreciative and made her think about the sacrifices she would be wiling to make for her kids.

She looked back at Martin who had closed his eyes again and whispered, "I've decided not to apply for Jack's job."

Martin looked back at her and said, "You're not? Why?"

"I've been thinking about it and Grace and Nate are still so young. I'd like to be able to spend as much time with them as I can before they get too big," she replied, her tone soft but certain. "I already work a lot and I don't want to tack on more hours if I can help it."

"Are you sure about this?" he asked, reaching up to take her hand in his. "I mean, really sure? I don't want you to do something you're going to regret later."

She cocked an eyebrow and asked, "You mean something I might blame you for later?"

He smiled. "Or resent me…yeah, that too." He shifted so he was closer and they were able to both stare each other directly in the face. "I don't want you to pass this up because you think it's what I want or you're afraid of being judged for having ambition. If you want the job, go for it. We can figure something out. As it is right now it seems like we rarely have two big cases at the same time so the kids get to see us plenty."

"I thought you'd be happy," she replied, her brow furrowed in confusion. She had been certain that he would be thrilled to know she wouldn't be away from home any more than usual.

She saw his tongue dart out as he considered before answering, "I just want to make sure you are one hundred percent sure and this isn't a reaction from what happened this weekend. Being an SAC is not the same as abandoning the kids. I'd hate for you to make such a big sacrifice without being really sure."

She smiled, bringing their intertwined hands closer to her, pressing them against her. "Martin, if my biggest sacrifice is spending more time with my children than getting a promotion at work I consider myself the luckiest woman in the world."


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

XoXoXoX

_One month later…_

XoXoXoX

"So explain to me again why I have to sign off on so many reports?" Danny asked as he got in step alongside Martin. The two men were headed down the hall to the elevator on their way to the weekly SSA meeting.

"Is life as supervisory special agent not all that you dreamed it would be?" Martin asked as he took a drink of his coffee. He smiled at his friend who was slowly getting adjusted to life as a Supervisory Special Agent and it seemed he was starting to realize that it wasn't as much fun as it never looked.

"No, I mean, yeah, it's great to be the decision maker and leading the team but…" he trailed off, considering.

"But it's a lot of work and not all of it is getting to kick in doors and take names," Martin replied with a grin.

"Yeah, pretty much," Danny replied as they turned the corner. "Jack made it seem badass."

Martin stopped and shot his friend a look. "Excuse me? Are you saying I don't make it look badass?"

Danny stared back at him for a long beat before he started laughing. "That's a good one," he released a few more chuckles, "Thanks I needed a good laugh."

"It wasn't meant to be funny," he replied, annoyed.

He watched as Danny tried to recover but a few more snorts of laughter escaped before he finally said, "Sorry man. It's just…you're a good friend, a good agent, a good husband and father but badass? I don't think so."

He frowned but had to agree. Besides, being the other stuff was good enough. He nodded and the two men got back in step and walked down the hallway.

As they reached the elevator Danny turned to face him and asked, "So, any chance you can convince Frances to take my boys on Saturday? Melanie is camping with her friends." He pressed the call button. "I'd be willing to pay her extra."

"I'll ask her tonight but it should be fine," he lifted up his cup to take another drink and said, "Do you want to bring them over to our house and then we can all head over to Hop Lee's together?"

"Sounds good," Danny replied, glancing up to see what floor the elevator was stopped on.

It was customary to have a big party when someone retires but Jack had flat out refused but after a lot of prodding he agreed to a dinner at a restaurant with just the team. So on Saturday just the members of the team, past and present, were going to gather at Hop Lee to wish their friend a good life outside the bureau.

Beside him Danny's cell phone rang and he answered it, "Taylor." He paused and then said, "Hey Sam." He went quiet as he listened to whatever she was telling him. "Will you and Paul please run over to re-interview his brother and ask him why he forgot to mention it to us?"

Martin sipped his coffee watched Danny amusedly. Since he got the promotion he had been very accommodating to Samantha. Asking her input on how to proceed, judiciously delegating tasks to her and making sure she didn't feel he was acting like she was of any less value to him as a friend and agent. He had asked Sam about it and she told him that even though told Danny she didn't want the position, it seemed like he felt guilty for taking it without having to fight her for it. This meant that he was compensating by being extra nice to her, something she was highly enjoying.

"Great, thanks Sam," Danny replied as he hung up the phone and dropped it into his breast pocket. He looked at Martin and said, "It feels weird being the one everyone calls to check in with."

"You'll get over it," Martin replied when the elevator stopped and the doors opened up. They stepped back, letting people exit before boarding.

Danny hit the button for the fifteenth floor and as the doors closed he asked, "Its so weird to not have Jack around."

"Yeah," he replied, taking a drink. "But considering he went into private security for a leverage buy out firm that has to deal with sticky custom and state department issues I think we'll get the occasional phone call."

The elevator stopped on the fourteenth floor and another agent boarded. They stepped back to the wall and Danny asked, "It's good he's not retiring. I can't imagine him not working at all."

"Tell me about it," Martin replied as the elevator started ascending again. "I mean, it would be nice to have a few days off a week to go golfing or something but I can't imagine not doing something to keep busy." The elevator stopped on their floor so they exited and started down the hallway to the conference room. "It's important to have a reason to get up everyday."

"Don't worry, I've already come up with a plan," Danny shared as they reached the door to the conference room. "We retire at the same time and then open up our own detective agency. We can rent an office in the village and split the money fifty-fifty. Only take the cases we want, never more than one at a time, and we get to take the day off whenever we feel like it."

Martin nodded and said, "You've given this a lot of thought."

Danny grinned as he put his hand on the doorknob. "That's why I will be the brains," he paused and added, "And the beauty."

He looked at him skeptically and asked, "What does that leave me?"

"Fine," Danny replied as he opened the door to the conference room. "We'll tell people you're the brains."

"What if I want to be the beauty?" Martin joked.

"Please," he said as he jutted out his chin to showcase his profile. "Look at this face. It's classically handsome."

"What about these dimples?" he argued back, smiling so hard he could feel the dents in his cheeks.

"Ahem," a voice interrupted. They both turned to see Van Doren staring directly at them. Martin could feel the hot blush on his face, cringing internally for forgetting where they were. "If you two sweethearts are done arguing about who is the fairest in the land I'd like to start the meeting."

He shared a quick look with Danny who looked as embarrassed as he felt before rushing to the nearest available seat. Once they were both seated, he looked around at the amused expressions on the other SSA faces before shifting his focus to a very perturbed looking Van Doren.

She righted some papers in front of her, cleared her throat and said, "Now, I'd like to begin this meeting by taking a vote." She smiled and laughingly asked, "Who do you think is the beauty in Martin and Danny's relationship?"


	58. Chapter 58

Chapter 58

XoXoXoX

"I still can't believe that Jack and Viv are going to be grandparents," Sam commented.

Danny looked ahead to where Emma and Sam were walking in front of him and Martin.

"It's crazy, isn't it? Especially considering that both their families have been through so much the last few months," Emma replied, pausing long enough to step around a heating grate. "But it's a real blessing, too."

"That's true," Sam replied. "I can't wait to see how Jack handles being a grandfather." He couldn't see their faces but he could hear the smile in their voices as they switched the topic. "Hanna and Reggie must be so excited right now."

Danny leaned into Martin and whispered, "That or scared shitless."

Martin smiled and nodded his head in agreement as the two women started talking about their memories of being pregnant. Danny's ears perked up, listening as Emma talked.

"I loved being pregnant," she said, not breaking her walking stride. "From start to finish. Everyday seeing my body change, feeling them move around in my belly, it was amazing."

Again, quietly he leaned into Martin and said, "I liked the second trimester."

During both of Emma's pregnancies when she reached the second trimester she was an insatiable sex kitten. It didn't last very long but he had a great time being a supportive husband and helping satisfy his wife's urges.

"Same here," Martin replied with a soft snicker and held out his hand so the two men could knock knuckles.

"I loved it with Gracie," Sam replied as they slowed their pace and came to a stop as they waited for the light to change so they could cross the street. "But Nate, not so much. I had the worst heartburn and then spending the third trimester on bed rest was miserable. I honestly thought I was going to go crazy having to sit in bed all day."

Emma nodded her head and replied, "Yeah, but looking back it was worth it right?"

"Of course," Sam replied without hesitation. "I love them madly but I'm glad we're done with having kids all the same."

Danny looked over at Emma who just nodded her head in understanding but didn't reply.

He was starting to notice that she was bringing up the subject of babies more and more. They had always said they wanted to have a big family and while he thought having three sons was big enough she was hinting around on maybe expanding their familial unit by one more. Namely, how nice it would be to have a little girl to try and balance all that male energy. And that's when it occurred to him that might be why she sought a job that gave her more free time to be at home.

He also wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that Diego was officially declared in remission and every day he was getting stronger and stronger. He and Mike were practically back to their old routines and they were even starting to include their little brother more in their pranks. They hadn't yet decided if that was a good thing or not.

"I miss the smell of little babies," she said as the signal changed so they could cross. They started walking again as she continued, "The smell of Johnson and Johnson in their hair and their tiny little fingers and toes,"

"I do miss being able to cradle them in my arms they were so tiny," Sam agreed. "I can still remember the exact feel and weight of each of them when I used to nurse them."

"And their chubby little belly's after they ate," Emma contributed as Sam nodded her head in agreement.

Martin laughed. "I don't miss them spitting up on my shoulder afterwards."

Emma laughed and affectionately grabbed his arm and said, "Do you remember what happened to Danny?" They all started laughing as she recounted the memory. "I had just finished nursing Mike so he offered to burp him for me," she shot him an amused look, "but for some inexplicable reason he decided to play with him first."

"And then he held him up in the air above him and was cooing at him and laughing," Sam added, laughing so hard that she almost couldn't finish talking. "And then…and then Mike threw up…"

"And it landed right in his mouth!" Martin finished. He playfully smacked Danny on the shoulder. "Bet you don't miss that."

He swallowed, the bitter taste in his mouth at the memory. "I'm glad you are all so amused by what was a very traumatic experience for a new father." He stuck his tongue out a few times as he tried to purge himself of the memory. Mike didn't know how lucky he was that he didn't drop him immediately, it was so gross. They laughed a little bit more so he decided to try and steer the topic away from himself and said, "Okay, I know I don't miss blow outs."

All four of them nodded their head in agreement. Changing diapers was messy enough but what most people don't share is that when an infant who spends a bulk of their time laying on their back poops it can sometimes slide free of the diaper and roll up onto their backs. And on some occasions all the way up to their necks. It was disgusting and messy and very, very difficult to have to clean up.

"Oh, yeah, tell me about it," Martin commented in commiseration. "Grace had one when we went to visit Diane. They're messy enough but have you ever tried changing one a plane?"

"Ahem," Sam interjected, dramatically clearing her throat. "As I recall _I_ had to clean her up in that tiny, cramped airplane toilet while you just stood guard outside and handed me wipes."

"Still a team effort," he quipped when Danny's cell phone shrilled.

"Excuse me," he said as he pulled the cell phone out of his jacket pocket and slowed down as the three of them walked a little ahead, still talking about the things they missed and the things they are very happy the kids have outgrown. "Taylor."

"Hey Danny," Paul's voice greeted him. "I just got a call from dispatch about a missing teenager."

"How old?" he asked.

"Fourteen," Paul replied. "He was supposed to go visit a friend but when the parents called the friend said that he wasn't there. Judging by the friend's statement to the police the kid may be lying."

"What's the address?" Danny asked, disappointed that he was going to have to work and miss Jack's retirement party when Martin tapped him on the shoulder. "Hang on, Paul." He rested the phone on his shoulder and asked Martin, "Yeah?"

"What's the case?" Martin asked and after he told him what little Paul had shared he said, "You're a supervisor now, remember?" He smiled. "Take my advice, supervise and delegate. Send Nora and Paul to get the details and if there is something than you go."

"I don't know," he replied, hesitant to shirk his responsibilities.

"It's your call but if you really want to balance and work you are going to have to admit you can't be there at the start of every case. Let them get the info and then go from there," Martin replied, stepping back. "But, hey, it's your call."

He nodded and pressed it against his ear, watching as Martin walk back over to join their wives. It was still taking some getting used to have his new authority. "Send Nora to go talk to the parents and you go talk to the friend. Call me back and let me know what they both say."

"You got it, boss," Paul replied. "Tell Jack I'm sorry we couldn't make it."

"He knows the job, he'll understand," Danny replied before hanging up. He looked up ahead as Emma, Martin and Sam lingered outside Hop Lee's, waiting for him. He dropped the phone back in his pocket and quietly said to himself, "Knowing Jack he'd rather be out on a case than the honored guest of a retirement party."


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

XoXoXoX

"So what time is Jack supposed to get here?" Martin asked as he sipped his beer.

"He should be here any minute," Viv replied, sipping her hot tea. It was nice to have celebratory dinner with some old friends with whom she had only been seeing for very serious reasons up until recently. She smiled as Marcus and Martin started talking about sports before looking over at Danny and asking, "So how are you doing?"

"Great. The kids are doing really well, thank God. I'm learning the ropes as SSA and Emma is joining a private practice," he replied with a smile as he squeezed some lime into his club soda. "So what about you? How are you doing?"

"We're good," she replied, truly believing it. "It feels like life has been moving a fast forward. We spent so much time focused on Reggie and proving his innocence and before we could even breathe we found out we are getting a grandchild. It's a lot to digest."

"Well, it's much better to focus on a new baby right?" he asked.

"Definitely," she replied. Danny started to say something else when his cell phone rang and he excused himself to go answer it.

As he got up from the table Sam moved over to his seat and sat down. "So how are you doing?"

"You all seem awfully concerned about me. I think each of you has asked me how I am and you've only been here ten minutes," she replied, sipping her tea. Just now Danny asked and when they first arrived, Martin checked in on how Reggie was doing, her health and the overall condition of the family.

Sam looked at her softly and replied, "Are we that obvious?"

"Yup," she quipped with a smile before reaching out and placing her hand on Sam's. "But I appreciate all your concern. Besides, I owe all a big thanks for saving my son's life. So to speak."

"I heard that they've set Henry's trial," Sam commented.

Viv nodded solemnly. While Henry confessed to his crimes he refused to enter a plea of guilty and opted for a trial in the hopes that if his attorney presented enough evidence about how his rights were violated by the methods used to get a conviction the case might get tossed or create enough reasonable doubt to get a hung jury.

"Yeah, it all officially starts next month," she replied before taking a deep breath and saying, "But I talked to Elaine about it and she thinks the case is more than solid enough to get a guilty verdict." She wrapped her hands about the small cup and said, "Even so, I don't think I can relax until it's done and he is sentenced."

Sam squeezed her hand and replied, "There's no doubt in my mind that he is going to prison."

Viv shared a look her friend before releasing a breath to try and shake off her melancholy mood. "You know what? This is supposed to be a fun celebratory party. Let's talk about something else. What about you? Danny told me that you didn't even apply for Jack's position."

"No I didn't," she replied, casual but certain.

She stole a covert glance at the rest of the table to see if anyone was listening but Emma was engaged in a discussion with Marcus and Reggie about how long a sports injury could keep a player out of commission. Satisfied that they weren't paying attention she leaned in and quietly asked, "Why not? Don't get me wrong, Danny would have been tough competition, but I always thought you wanted to advance in your career."

Sam shrugged. "I have more important things to do right now. Their names are Grace and Nate."

Viv smiled at her and said, "I'm so proud of you right now."

"For not trying to get a job?"

"For putting your children ahead of a job that I know you love," she replied. She couldn't believe how far Samantha had come since those early days working together. She could still remember how hard she would hit a case and on more than one occasion how Sam would make her feel guilty for going home when she was still at the office. She remembered that during that time the responsibilities of children were so foreign to Sam that it was impossible to explain. But now, here Sam sat, willingly putting the job second and her family first. This is a far cry from the Samantha Spade she used to be and she for one was grateful for the evolution. "It's a good thing. Besides, you are going to have a lot of opportunities in the future but your kids are only this young once. It flies by so fast and it's great you want to spend more time to witness it."

Sam smiled and said, "Thanks."

"Are you telling Viv about our plans?" Emma asked as she leaned in, joining their conversation.

"What plans?" Viv asked, curious what the two women could be planning.

"We were talking about running as co-presidents of the PTA," Sam replied with a light laugh.

Emma nodded and said, "Our plan is to dethrone the current president and make some big changes. We decided that we may not be able to change the whole wide world but the very least we could do is start by changing the immediate world of our kids."

"You gotta start somewhere right?" Sam added as she took a sip of her plum wine.

Viv smiled at the two women and said, "Right."

"You're in my chair," Danny commented, tapping Sam on the shoulder.

Sam rolled her eyes and stood up. "Terribly sorry, Supervisory Special Agent Taylor." She stepped back and waved her hand towards the chair. "Please sit down, sir."

Danny gave her a playful sneer as she stepped back over to her seat next to Martin. He sat down and took a drink of his club soda. "Sorry about the interruption. Paul and Nora are tracking down a kid they think lied to his parents so he could go to a concert."

"I actually liked those cases," Viv said. While she enjoyed her work as a professor there were still some days she missed being an agent. "They usually had happy endings."

"Well let's hope that's the case here," he replied, setting his drink back down. He sighed and looked at her. "I just wonder if I should go help out or something. I don't want to risk screwing up this case."

"Daniel, you're a great agent," she assured him. "If Paul really thinks there's no urgency give him some time to make sure there isn't. You need to give yourself some slack. You're going to be a great SSA," she said with a knowing authority.

"Well, I learned how to be a good agent from the best," he replied.

"Jack did teach you a lot," she agreed with a nod.

"Jack did teach me a lot but," Danny replied before shaking his head and clarifying, "But he wasn't the only one," He met her eyes and clarified, "You taught me a lot, too, Viv."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

XoXoXoX

Jack's eyes scanned the table, seeing that the platters of food were empty, with small remnants of sauce marking what delicious foods they once held. Everyone was chatting animatedly and he just sat back and enjoyed seeing so many people who had become so important to him over the years gathered around the table. He turned his head towards Elaine to see that she and Viv were showing the ultrasound to Emma and Sam.

He shook his head and teased, "The kid's not even born yet and you guys are already showing off pictures?"

"Shut up, we're excited," Elaine replied. She pointed to something on the picture and asked Sam, "We aren't a hundred percent sure but doesn't that look like the beginnings of a penis?"

He watched as Sam and Emma squinted and studied the image. She tilted her head side to side and replied, "I can't tell but I guess it sort of looks like there's something going on there."

Marcus huffed. "Hanna and Reggie made it perfectly clear they don't want to know the sex of the baby. Why do you ladies keep insisting on trying to figure it out?"

"I am a former special agent, I am compelled to investigate," Viv replied, staring across the table at her husband. Jack watched her bemusedly, enjoying seeing his friend's feisty spark returning. "Besides, its not like if we figure out we're going to tell them. We're just curious."

As the table started debating on whether or not there was something on the picture that could identify the baby's gender he poured himself another cup of saki.

"So, Jack, are you enjoying the new job?" Martin asked, looking at him over Elaine's head that was bent low as she talked with Emma.

Jack took a sip of his saki and nodded his head. When he lowered the cup he said, "Do you have any idea how liberating it is to work someplace where you don't have to justify your expenses or explain yourself to a superior?"

"No," Martin deadpanned.

He smiled in agreement before leaning in and devilishly saying, loudly, "Of course, it does have its drawbacks. For example, I'm not able to get into arguments with my co-workers about who is prettier."

Martin's face went bright red and he ran his hand over his face, mumbling through his fingers. "You heard about that?"

Danny's eyes darted straight at him and he asked, "How in the hell did you hear about that?" He had to raise his voice in order to be heard past the laughter of the others at the table and said, "You don't even work there anymore."

He clasped his hands and rested them on the table. "It doesn't matter if I work there or not, I know and hear all."

"See, I told you," Danny replied, looking at Martin. "Badass."

He wasn't quite sure what that meant but he was flattered anyway.

Their server came and cleared off the table and said that she would return with their rice pudding with mangoes and green tea ice cream. As she walked away he took a sip of his water when he saw Danny stand up.

"I want to make a toast!" Danny announced as he tapped his drinking glass with a fork. He looked directly at Jack, holding up his drinking glass. "I want to make a toast to Jack Malone," he paused as the rest of the table hushed up and held up their own glasses, "Jack, I think I speak for all of us when I say, you taught us what it takes to be a good agent. You showed us that sometimes you had to do everything you could to get the job done. You were a great agent and supervisor but you are also a great friend." He raised his glass a few inches and with a smirk he finished, "We're going to miss you but I can't lie, not having you around will also make our lives much easier. "

Everyone laughed while Jack shot Danny a warning look before standing up, holding his own cup.

"That's funny, Danny," he replied, holding up his cup and glancing around the table. They were all looking at him expectantly and he cleared his throat. "So I guess this is the part when I have to say a few words." He paused and took a breath before releasing a nervous chuckle. "I'm not good with this sort of stuff so I'm just going to speak from the heart because when I look at all your faces I realize that I can still remember the first time I met all of you."

He looked at Samantha who was sitting on his left and said, "Sam, I can still remember when you first joined the team. You were probably one of the most gung-ho agents I had ever met. You were single minded, hard and determined to find justice for the every single missing person who crossed your desk. You determination impressed me then and it still does today."

She smiled at him and held up her glass in thanks.

He shifted his focus to Emma and said, "While I never worked with you I can still remember seeing the changes in Danny after he met you. For starters he finally gave up pretending to be a ladies man, which we all thought was a bunch of bull by the way." Everyone at the table laughed with the exception of Danny who pretended to look offended by the comment. "So I want to thank you for marrying the sorry son-of-a-bitch and confirming our suspicion that he really is a one lady man."

Emma reached over and held Danny's hand as she gave him soft smile.

He looked at his successor in the bureau before his eyes scanned he table as he said, "Believe it or not but I can still remember when Danny was quiet and shy around the office." Everyone laughed in disbelief with the exception of Viv who just nodded her head in agreement. "It took him some time to relax enough to finally show his true personality and I having been laughing ever since. You have been a great agent who reminds us that sometimes we can't take the job or ourselves too seriously."

His gaze stopped on Viv and his tone went soft. "Viv, we have had so many ups and downs for as long as I can remember. I think it started on your first day when you told me that you disagreed with my method of interviewing a suspect and it has never stopped." He shared a look of understanding with her before continuing, "We've weathered a lot of rough waters, Viv. And I truly believe that if we can survive all the trials we have shared that we will always be friends. Of course, considering we are both going to share a grandchild we will be in each other's lives forever." He turned his head to look at Marcus and said, "Marcus, I first met you when Viv invited me over for a barbeque. You made this amazing brisket and when I asked you for the recipe you looked at me and said that the recipe has been in your family for generations and you need to know me at least twenty five years before you would be willing to share it. I haven't forgotten and I want that recipe."

Marcus laughed. "Damn, who knew I'd still know you?"

Jack smiled and replied, "I'm not joking, I want it." He laughed and his gaze landed on Martin. "This guy didn't exactly have the most auspicious beginnings on our team." Martin's face went pink and smiled at the others around the table. "I honestly didn't know if you were going to stick it out or just bide your time until a better position came around but you kept coming back everyday, proving yourself and trying harder than anyone else I had ever met. You've come so far from that green rookie and you continue to impress me."

Martin gave him a nod of appreciation.

Finally his eyes landed on Elaine who was watching him with pride in her eyes.

"And I guess I don't have to say how crazy I am about this woman here," he began, his smile widening. "I love her and I'm incredibly thankful that she loves me back." He shared a look with his wife before looking up and gazing at the people gathered around. "I know when you guys told me you wanted to have a little party I insisted that we not do it at the office, that I wanted a small dinner with just the team but the truth of the matter is I don't think of you as just my team, we aren't just co-workers." He paused, raised his glass, and finished, "So let me toast all of you, my friends and family. While we won't see each other around the office I know we will always have each other in our lives one way or another. To family."

Everyone raised their glasses and toasted. "To family."

End Red Skies Book III

Epilogue to Follow


	61. Epilgoue

Epilogue

XoXoXoX

"Mom," Grace said again. She put her hand on her mom's back and patted softly. "Mom, relax. You're going to see me in two weeks."

If Sam heard her she didn't indicate she had. Martin watched as she kept her arms wrapped around their daughter, holding her in the tight embrace. Grace was starting at Northwestern University in a week and she and two of her best friends wanted to drive there on their own. While he was worried about his eighteen-year old daughter traveling from New York to Evanston, Illinois with just her friends he also knew that he traveled across the country when he was her age and it was an experience he never once regretted. He couldn't deprive his daughter of something like that as much as he wished he could enclose her protective glass to keep her safe forever.

However, Sam was having more trouble letting their daughter go, both figuratively and literally.

Martin stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders and said, "Sam, you're going to have to let go eventually."

"I know, I know." She nodded and finally released Grace from her embrace, stepping back. She wiped some tears from her eyes and said, "I just can't believe she's going away to college. It feels like just yesterday she started kindergarten." She ran her hand over the side of Gracie's face. "I'm just going to miss you."

"Mom, don't worry, I'm going to be okay. You guys taught me well. I'll call you from the road and check in and I'm going to see you in two weeks for parents weekend." Grace replied, giving her mom a soft smile. "Besides, I'm counting on you taking care of Daisy for me."

"Oh yeah," Sam replied feigning annoyance. "Are you really sure you can't have pets in your dorm?"

"Very funny, you know she loves you," Grace said with a grin before leaning down and petting Franky behind the ears. The burly Golden Retriever started licking her face and she said, "I'm going to miss you, too, Frankfurter."

He could feel the dog's tail flapping against his calves, excited by the attention from his favorite girl. It took him several years to finally be ready to get another dog but the moment he saw Franky's fluffy little face he knew that he was going to be their new dog. And while Franky was only four years old he was a beloved family member from the moment he joined their family.

Grace kissed the dog's forehead and stood up. She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. "Bye dad."

"So I see how it goes, first your mom, the dog and than me?" he smiled and hugged his daughter back. "I see where I rank."

"Deal with it," she joked.

He kissed her temple and said, "Bye sweetie, I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied as she stepped back from and looked at him. She had grown up to be a beautiful young woman and looked so much like Sam.

"Are you sure you have enough money?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yes and I have the credit card…"

"For emergencies only," they said at the same time.

"I'll be fine." She tucked a strand of her golden brown hair behind her ear and said, "And Abby's dad had the tires rotated and aligned and the oil changed."

Abby looked up at her from where she stood at the bottom of the stoop and said, "And he also had the brakes checked so we're good."

He looked past her head to study the aged VW Jetta. "Did he check the battery? Because…"

"Dad, we're going to be fine. We're not going to take any creepy back roads or stop at any abandoned farmhouses. We will only get snacks and gas at well lit and populated gas stations and we're not going to pick up any hitchhikers."

"Unless they are really good looking," Abby teased. "You know like Brad Pitt in _Thelma and Louise_. He was hot when he was young."

Grace laughed nervously and looked over at her friend. "Not helping, Abs." She looked back at them and said, "She's kidding. No hitchhikers, even if they are good looking. I promise."

"Are you still stopping to see Diego on Tuesday?" he asked. Diego was attending graduate school at the University of Michigan. Which was ironic since Mike was attending Ohio State. It made for lots of fun during the football season. It was a surprise that they decided to go to different schools but the two brothers decided to try and spend some time apart. Create their own worlds separate from each other. Which they accomplished for the most part except they still talked just about every day because Diego was studying business and Mike was working on his computer science degree so they could start their own software company.

"Yeah," Grace replied. "I'm supposed to stop by Uncle Danny's to pick up some of his stuff so I can deliver it." She rolled her eyes. "He's a grown man but he still bosses me around like I'm his little sister. I don't know how Anna puts up with three brothers." She grinned and said, "Speaking of," she stepped to his left and hugged her little brother, Nate. He wasn't so much her 'little brother' anymore. When he hit sixteen he shot up to six feet and was now tallest one in the family. Martin had to admit he was happy that he was taking after his grandfather in the height department. She stepped back and mussed his hair. "I'm actually going to miss you butthead."

Nate laughed and said, "Right back at you butt-munch."

"Okay, I'm going," Grace gave each of them one final hug before stepping back and walking down the steps. He watched as she and Abby climbed into the car. She rolled down the window and waved. "Bye! I love you!"

"Goodbye!" they all shouted back as he wrapped his arm around Sam and pulled her close. Abby turned the key in the ignition and he shouted, "Put your seatbelt on!"

Grace nodded and pulled on her seatbelt. "Stop worrying, dad!"

"You girls be careful!" Sam shouted. "And Grandma Diane is expecting to see you on Wednesday!"

"I know!" she replied before leaning in and saying something to Abby as the car pulled out into traffic. She leaned out the window and waved again, "Bye! See you in two weeks!"

They stood and watched as the car drove down the street and out of sight. It was official, his daughter was grown up and moving away from home. While he was excited and proud of the young woman his daughter had become he was going to miss that precocious little girl who followed him around the house talking his ear off. He looked down at Sam, who was wiping a tear from her eye. It was like the entire family understood how important today was and how her absence was going to affect their lives.

"So what's for lunch?" Nate asked, looking over at him.

Then again maybe each of them were dealing with Grace's departure in their own way.

"We just finished breakfast," Martin replied. His son's appetite was bigger than his ever was and seemingly without limits. He doesn't think Nate ever uttered the words 'I'm full.'

Next to him Sam laughed and asked, "You ate eggs, pancakes, toast, and everything else we had put out. How can you possibly be hungry again?"

Nate stared back at him and shrugged. "I just am."

He smiled and said, "Tell you what: you put on your running clothes and go with me for a run and we'll stop and pick up something to eat afterwards. Deal?"

His son gave him a skeptical look. "I don't know, dad. Are you sure you can keep up?" He smiled and said, "These legs are long and they run pretty fast."

Martin gave Nate a hard look and with an annoyed voice said, "Just go change."

He watched as Nate entered the house when he heard Sam laugh. She stepped back and said, "Like father, like son."

He studied his wife's face and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yeah," she replied as they stepped into the house. "I'm just going to miss seeing my girl everyday."

"Okay, I'm going to do you a favor," he said, leading her towards the living room. "I'm going to remind you what a pain in the ass she could be."

Sam laughed, nodding her head in agreement. "I know but she was my pain. I may actually miss that most of all. She kept us on our toes."

He laughed as he considered reminding her that she seemed to have forgotten that it wasn't that long ago when she and Grace would get into loud arguments about just about everything. They were so alike that they both often ended up fighting the most as a result. As beloved as their daughter was, she was also completely wretched teenager during her formative years. Diane often joked that Grace not only got Sam's looks but she also inherited her stubborn streak and rebelled just for the sake of rebelling. But he decided it might be best to just let Sam dwell on the happier memories.

"Well, we are going to see her next week so try and focus on that," he replied, softly caressing her back.

"Okay, I'm ready old man," Nate declared as he walked into the living room dressed in his trainers and t-shirt. With an expression of bravado he teased, "Let's do this."

Martin looked at his son and replied, "Bring it on."

XoXoX

Sam sat at the dining room table scrolling through the photos from Grace's high school graduation party. She smiled at seeing everyone she loved gathered together to congratulate Grace.

There was a picture of Viv and Jack with their two grandkids sitting between them. At eleven years old Kyle was the spitting image of Reggie while seven-year old John was a mix of both Malone and Johnson. The two boys had big smiles on their faces but there was no mistaking the sadness in their eyes. Hanna and Reggie had recently separated so Viv and Jack were doing their best to try and keep the kids out of the line of fire by doting on them as much as they could. Between the two of them and Maria, Elaine and Marcus the boys were not short of affection.

The next picture was of Kate showing Kyle how to use her camera while Jack sat off to the side watching them. Sam was so proud of how far Kate had come in her life. The trial was incredibly difficult for her but once Henry was sentenced to a minimum of twenty-five years she slowly started to return to living her own life. She finished school and became a crusader for women's causes. She also was able to land a job with the Washington Post and moved to London as a correspondent. It was there that she met Samir. It took some time but eventually she found one man to trust with her heart. Everyone wondered if it was going to be very serious when she confirmed it by announcing that they were moving back to New York because Samir got a new editorial position with the Post.

She clicked on the next series of photographs. There was a picture of Paul and his wife sitting in the backyard. Parker and Reese laughing as they blew bubbles in the air and Olivia's two-year old daughter, Kathy, chased them. A great photo of Grace in the center of a group hug flanked on both sides by her cousins Amy, Olivia and Claire. Eli and Nate standing in the kitchen eating hamburgers. Martin holding a beer while talking to his brother-in-law, Curtis. Eli, Nate, Diego and Mike playing stickball in the street while Anna, Grace and several of her daughter's friends cheered. Anna with her arms wrapped around Danny's neck, both of them smiling at the camera with wide grins while Emma just sat next to them and laughed. Bridget and Gus showing the kids how to line dance. Terri sitting on the hammock with her boyfriend. Her mom, Diane, and John standing next to Grace who was wearing her navy blue cape and gown.

It was fun day.

The only one visibly absent was Victor. He passed on six years after Katherine. Martin took his father's death especially hard. Those years after his mom had died he and his father grew especially close. Victor had even moved to a retirement community in Connecticut so he could be near enough to visit but far enough away so he could still feel some independence. During that time Martin said he got to know his father better than he had ever dreamed. Plus, it allowed Grace and Nate to get to know their grandfather while he was still alive and a whole new dimension of Victor's personality emerged. He was funnier than they ever gave him credit for and he became more demonstrative with his affection towards his grandkids. Per his wishes they had him cremated and they scattered his ashes at the same place they did for Katherine.

Victor's death was remarkably different from the death of her father. Nine years after that ill-fated reunion with Max Spade she got a call from one of his partners. He told her that Max had died a few weeks before and when they were cleaning out his apartment they found some papers indicating that he had children and wanted to let her know what had happened. He died from cirrhosis of the liver. After she hung up she called Bridget and together they grieved for the death of a man who they never got to know in life.

Finally an image of her, Martin, Danny and Emma appeared on screen. They were standing around the grill talking and laughing. She paused and stared at the photo. The four of them had shared so much together and she honestly didn't know how she would have survived raising teenagers without them. They were each other's crutch during those days when they wanted to strangle their progeny. After all these years they were still best friends.

"We're home!" Martin shouted, wandering into the dining room. He came up behind her and she instantly recognized his husky sweaty manly post-run smell. He rested his chin on her shoulder, looking at the laptop screen. "You're looking at photographs from the graduation party?"

"Don't make fun of me," she replied, reaching up and running her hand along the side of his face. "My first born child has left for college. I'm allowed to wallow."

He laughed softly. "I'm sorry but it's just I can't believe how upset you are. We've been dreaming of the day we get these kids out of the house ever since they hit their teens."

She laughed. "I know. It's just it's a big thing to not have Grace here everyday. Now she's off at school and we'll be lucky to get a phone call once a week."

"I'm going to miss her too but this is a good thing. We've raised an independent, smart, wonderful woman." He kissed the side of her neck and said, "She's a lot like her mom."

Sam tilted her head to give him better access to his neck and said, "Now you're just flirting with me."

"Is it working?" he murmured.

"I think so," she replied as she turned her head to kiss him.

"Ew, gross," Nate said as he wandered into the dining room with his cell phone attached to his ear; probably talking to either Eli or his latest girlfriend. He looked at them disdainfully. "Do you have to do that in the same room where we eat?" He pushed open the door to the kitchen and into his phone he said, "No, it's my parents, they're making-out. I know they're too old…"

"We are not!" Martin shouted as the kitchen door swung closed.

"Are too!" Nate replied back when their home telephone rang. "I'll get it!" he shouted.

"He has one phone plastered to his ear and he still insists on answering every time another phone rings," Martin said as he stepped back and started to the bedroom to shower. "I'm going to go take a shower. Feel free to join me."

The door swung open and Nate appeared, holding out the cordless for her. "It's for you. It sounds like work."

"Thanks sweetie," she replied as her son turned around and walked back into the kitchen. She put the phone to her ear and said, "This is Assistant Director Spade."

End Epilogue

End Red Skies

XoXoXoXoX

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading! I'm sorry to post them all in one shot but my schedule is crazy this week and I'm not sure when I will have time to post, etc. And to answer Stephell's question that she posed so long ago, no, I am never, ever going to pick up this fic again. And if any of you hear me even casually mention that I am considering it, please whack me upside the head. It's just too much and its time to work on other universes.

And, as is my MO, attached is the teaser for my next fic.


	62. Teaser

TITLE: Into the Abyss (Working Title)

This fic should start posting around the beginning of March.

XoXoX

_Your memory is a monster, you forget – it doesn't. It simply files things away. It keeps things for you, or hides things from you – and summons them to your recall with a will of its own. You think you have a memory; but it has you! _

"_A Prayer for Owen Meany" – John Irving _

XoXoXoX

Teaser

XoXoXoX

_Summer 1984_

XoXoXoX

"_Jump! Jump! Jump!"_

_Marty inched closer to the edge, carefully walking over the rocky terrain in his Converse sneakers. He stood at the cliff and looked down to see his friends staring up at him, chanting "Jump!" over and over. The sun was directly above, beating down on him and making the back of his neck hot. It also made the world around him impossibly bright white so that even the water below didn't look blue. The sun's rays were bouncing off the water's waves making it sparkle like fireworks. _

_He could feel his heart thundering in his chest and he could hear his blood pumping in his ears. Resolved, he took a deep breath and turned around, walking back to safer ground. He removed his baseball cap and tossed it onto the ground near a bush before pulling off his t-shirt and toeing off his sneakers, tossing them in the same general area._

_He slowly shuffled back to the edge, the rocks digging into the soles of his bare feet. The ground was hot from the sun and it burned the bottoms of his feet. He suddenly remembered reading in National Geographic about young boys in tribes who had to walk across a bed of hot coals as a right of passage into manhood. He wondered if they felt as nervous as he did right now or if they just knew they had to do it and didn't think twice._

_Because he was having second thoughts and third and fourth…_

"_Jump! Jump!"_

_He reached the edge and looked down, wondering why on earth he agreed to this dare. It was a documented camp legend that only the bravest boys jumped off the cliff. While he always considered himself brave he couldn't help but wonder if it was more suicidal than bravery. After all, every other kid who tried was either killed or was severely disabled or was never seen or heard from again. At least that was what he was told. No one could quite recall having actually met someone who made the jump. Of course, legend also told that the boys who survived the jump bragged about seeing things deep in those watery depths. The abyss is what they called it, claiming to see fishes that were bigger than them, with big buggy eyes and long elegant fins. There was also talk of a mermaid who lived in an underwater lair. No accounts could be verified, which is how he ended up in this predicament. _

"_Jump! Jump!"_

_He inched closer to the ledge, the tips of his toes clutching onto the dirt and rock that hung over the side. Using his hand he wiped the sweat from his brow and rubbed it against his shorts. _

"_You can do this, Marty," he mumbled to himself as he held out his arms, bent his knees and…_

XoXoXoX

Chapter 1

XoXoXoX

_Present day…_

In the moonlight shadows of the bedroom Martin shifted trying to seek out some warmth. He reached down to try and pull up the blanket but finding no luck. He cracked open one eye to see that he was lying in the bed without so much as a wisp of a sheet covering his boxer clad body. He leaned up on his elbows and looked over to see that Sam was still the reigning queen as the stealer of covers. He sighed as he carefully reached over and tried to pull some of the sheets back over to his side without waking her up. While he was enjoying getting to sleep with her every night, sleeping next to her was an entirely different matter. She would inevitably hog all the blankets, leaving him to fend for himself. He glanced at her slumbering face, nestled peacefully in the bundle of sheets and blankets before he gently tugged on one end of the sheet trying hard not to disturb her.

And then his cell phone rang.

"Shit," he mumbled as he maneuvered back over to his side of the bed and grabbed his cell phone off the nightstand. He glanced at the clock on the night stand; the digital numbers illuminated a bright red and reading: 12:05 am. He felt Sam stir and roll over behind him. He turned to look at her, her eyes blinking as they tried to focus in the darkness. He flipped open his cell phone and answered, "Fitzgerald."

"Hi Martin, sorry to wake you," Jack's gruff voice greeted him.

"What's up, Jack?" he said, casting a quick glance at Sam who was watching him questioningly.

"I need you to come down to the office," he said, skipping any pleasantries.

"I'm on my way," he replied before clicking off his cell phone. He rubbed his weary eyes and yawned, tilting his head side to side trying to fully wake up.

Sam sat up, holding the sheet over her bare chest. "Do we have a case?"

"I guess so but unless he calls you directly you should just go back to sleep," he stood up, clad only in his boxer briefs and walked to the chair in the corner of the bedroom. He picked up his discarded trousers and said, "You're not on call tonight so you might as well get some rest before hitting the case tomorrow morning."

She laid back down, her head resting on the pillow but her eyes still watching him. "You're probably right."

He grabbed his shirt, jacket and shoes and moved to the side of the bed, leaning over to kiss her. "I love it when you think I am actually right."

She smiled, her body looking soft and languid beneath him and whispered, "Well, don't let it go to you head, it doesn't happen very often"

He smiled and moved the final few inches to kiss her squarely on the mouth. "See you later."

"Later," she replied before closing her eyes and rolling back over to go to sleep, pulling all the covers back over with her in the process.

He shook his head at her before stepping out of the bedroom and heading to work.

Thirty minutes later he was on the elevator heading to the office. He watched the numbers light up marking each floor as the elevator ascended to the twelfth floor. He yawned between sips of the large cup of coffee he picked up on his way, hoping the caffeine would start taking effect very soon.

The elevator finally stopped and he stepped out. He didn't see Jack in his office so he continued down the hall to the bullpen. He glanced around and still no sign of Jack or anyone else from the team. Perplexed, he decided to wander over to see if Jack was in an interview room. As he turned the corner he saw Jack talking with Kyle Saracen who was an SAC in Violent Crimes. Neither men noticed him approach from behind, too engrossed in their conversation.

"Do you think he's for real?" Jack asked as he stared behind the one sided mirror at the middle-aged man sitting in the interview room.

"He knows details about all the cases that were never released to the press. Things he couldn't have known otherwise. Plus, he said he can produce the souvenirs as evidence if we can grant his request," Saracen replied as he sipped the last of his soda from the paper cup before tossing it in the trash can. "Jack, if he is the guy we need him to talk but do you really think that he can handle it?"

Jack shook his head and replied, "I hope so."

"Look, I want to know where those other bodies are buried but I also don't want to give this guy a chance to fuck with his mind either. He has enough victims stacked up, I don't want to give him another," Saracen said as he folded his arms across his barrel chest. "I can't imagine how I would react if I were put in his shoes."

"Whose shoes?" Martin asked, announcing his presence.

"Good, you're here," Jack said as he stepped away from the mirror. "Why don't we go in my office so we can talk?" He started to lead him down the hall when Martin stopped and glanced at the gray haired man in the interview room.

"Who's he?" he asked as he glanced at the man sitting at the table, looking relaxed and unconcerned about his surroundings. He looked as if he were in a café waiting on his meal to be served instead of a federal interview room.

"I'll tell you in my office," Jack replied as he started down the hall, not giving Martin a chance to ask another question.

Once the three men were in his office Jack closed the door and told Martin and Kyle to sit down on the sofa. He wasn't sure why, but there was something in the way Jack was acting that set him on edge. His eyes were darting between the two men before he finally said, "What's going on? You called me in the middle of the night to come down right away, what's up?"

Jack sat down on the chair across from the sofa and said, "Kyle called me earlier this evening to tell me that Alan Schneider, that man in the interview room, has confessed to a series of murders of young boys going as far back as the late seventies to the mid nineties." He paused and finished, "Thirteen total."

It took Martin a moment to process that revelation before he finally said, "Why is he confessing now?"

"He won't say," Kyle answered as he stood up and picked up a large stack of case files that were sitting on Jack's desk. "He gave us just enough information so we could confirm that he is who he says he is; details from cases that he could never have known if he wasn't the killer."

"I still don't get why I am here," Martin replied as he put his cup on coffee down on the table so he could flip through the files. Inside were pictures of young, cheerful boys in school photos alongside grisly crime scene portraits of their young mutilated bodies in shallow graves. His heart clenched at all of these boys lives cut tragically short. "If he confessed to all the crimes, why do you need me?"

Saracen glanced at Jack before explaining, "Schneider not only confessed to killing the thirteen that we know about but he also claims that he killed three more that we still haven't found."

Martin nodded his head and said, "So do you want me to work the case? See if I can learn any more facts about the other boys…"

"Actually, Martin we need a lot more than that," Jack said, his words said carefully and slowly. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Schneider said he is willing to reveal where we can find the boys but he won't tell us – at least not directly."

"You lost me," he replied as he closed the file and fixed his gaze on Jack.

"He wants to talk to the boy he said got away," Jack breathed out.

"Got away?" Martin repeated.

Saracen shifted in his seat and said, "He claims that one of the boys taken was by accident. That he meant to get his friend but there was some confusion and he ended up snagging the wrong kid."

Martin furrowed his brow in confusion and asked, "So, you want me to look for the boy he meant to take?"

Jack shook his head and replied, "No, we know who the boy is." He took a deep breath and said, "Martin, you were that boy."


End file.
